The Role of the Table of Games in the Discrete Thermostatted Kinetic Theory

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the mathematical modeling of complex living systems whose element microscopic state contains variables which can attain discrete values. Specifically, the main mathematical frameworks of the discrete thermostatted kinetic theory for active particles are reviewed and generalized. In the generalized thermostatted frameworks, which are based on nonlinear ordinary or partial differential equations, the elements of the system are viewed as active particles that are able to perform certain strategies modeled by introducing a functional-state variable called activity. Interactions, which are responsible of the evolution of the system, are modeled using the fundamentals of stochastic game theory and may be influenced by the action of an external force field coupled to a Gaussian-type thermostat. In particular, the interaction domain is modeled by introducing a weighted function and different non-homogeneous discrete frameworks are proposed and coupled with a specific thermostat. Two recent models derived within this approach are reviewed and refer to vehicular and pedestrian dynamics. Future research perspectives are discussed in the whole paper from theoretical and modeling viewpoints.

Keywords

• nonlinearity
• complexity
• thermostat
• vehicular traffic
• pedestrian dynamics
• kinetic theory