Special modes and hypocoercivity for linear kinetic equations with several conservation laws and a confining potential
Résumé
We study linear inhomogeneous kinetic equations with an external confining potential and a collision operator with several local conservation laws (local density, momentum and energy). We exhibit all equilibria and entropy-maximizing special modes, and we prove asymptotic exponential convergence of solutions to them with quantitative rate. This is the first complete picture of hypocoercivity and quantitative $H$-theorem for inhomogeneous kinetic equations in this setting.