Stationary Couette-type flows in relativistic fluids
Abstract
We investigate a class of stationary, planar-symmetric solutions of relativistic hydrodynamics, in which a dissipative fluid is confined between two parallel plates that move relative to each other and/or are maintained at different temperatures. We find that neglecting the heat flux leads to qualitatively incorrect flow profiles, even in systems with temperature-independent viscosity. This arises from the fact that, in special relativity, the heat flux itself contributes to the momentum density (the so-called “inertia of heat”). This effect is most evident in the Landau frame, where the fluid removes the excess energy generated by viscous heating by streaming across the boundaries. The analysis is further extended to the limit of vanishing chemical potential.
Fields of Study & Subjects
High-Energy Particle Collisions Research
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Dust and Plasma Wave Phenomena
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical review. D/Physical review. D.
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 5
- Publication date
- 23 February 2026
- Language
- EN