Starting from a microscopic model of interacting elastic rods, we derive an effective dissipative dynamics for the translational motion, where the internal degrees of freedom, i.e., the vibrations of the rods, are represented by a thermalized bath. Focusing on two-particle collisions, we calculate the coefficient of restitution ε as a function of the relative length of the colliding rods, the center of mass velocity, and the degree of excitation of the internal vibrations. In general, ε is a stochastic quantity; its distribution is interpreted as the transition probability for the Markovian jump process, which describes the loss of translational energy in successive two-particle collisions. © 1996 The American Physical Society.

• Received 18 June 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.54.4828