Journal of Statistical Physics, Vol. 35, Nos. 5/6, 1984. p. 635-643.
The motion of a charged hard rod, accelerated by a constant and uniform external field, in a fluid of mechanically identical neutral particles is studied. The system, initially at rest, is excited through collisions with the accelerated particle. A class of initial configurations is found for which recollisions between the charged rod and the excitation caused by it (a moving particle) never occur. The evolution of the velocity distribution of the test particle is analyzed in this case. The possibility of obtaining from microscopic dynamics a kinetic equation is discussed. The dependence of the current on the external field is shown to agree with that predicted by the Boltzmann equation.