Rational extended thermodynamics (RET) is the theory that is applicable
to nonequilibrium phenomena out of local equilibrium. It is expressed by
the hyperbolic system of field equations with local constitutive
equations and is strictly related to the kinetic theory with the closure
method of the hierarchies of moment equations. The book intends to
present, in a systematic way, new results obtained by RET of gases in
both classical and relativistic cases, and it is a natural continuation
of the book "Rational Extended Thermodynamics beyond the Monatomic
Gas" by the same authors published in 2015. However, this book
addresses much wider topics than those of the previous book. Its
contents are as follows: RET of rarefied monatomic gases and of
polyatomic gases; a simplified RET theory with 6 fields being valid far
from equilibrium; RET where both molecular rotational and vibrational
modes exist; mixture of gases with multi-temperature. The theory is
applied to several typical topics (sound waves, shock waves, etc.) and
is compared with experimental data. From a mathematical point of view,
RET can be regarded as a theory of hyperbolic symmetric systems, of
which it is possible to conduct a qualitative analysis. The book
represents a valuable resource for applied mathematicians, physicists,
and engineers, offering powerful models for many potential applications
such as reentering satellites into the atmosphere, semiconductors, and
nanoscale phenomena.
