Rates of convergence to equilibrium in the Prigogine-Misra-Courbage theory of irreversibility

The rates of convergence to equilibrium in the Prigogine-Misra-Courbage theory of irreversibility, as developed by Goldstein, Misra, and Courbage, are examined. It is found that arbitrarily slow convergence to equilibrium should be present; in fact, in a certain precise sense, it should be the most abundant behavior. This is compared with the common beliefs in kinetic theory.Research supported in part by NSF Grant No. PHY 78-23952.