University of Georgia

Mathematics Department Colloquium

David K. Maslen

January 15, 1999

The eigenvalues of Kac's master equation


Abstract: In 1956 Mark Kac gave a derivation of a model Boltzmann equation using a random walk on the rotation group, and raised the question of computing the associated eigenvalues. In this talk we use standard tools from representation theory to resolve several conjectures about these eigenvalues and their relation to model Boltzmann equations.