LAUSR

We point out that the minimal components of the tensorial moments of the distribution that can be independently relaxed in collision without violating rotational symmetry are its irreducible representation (irrep) of SO(3), and a generic multiple-relaxation-time collision model can be constructed by independently relaxing these components. As the simplest example the irreps of the second moment are the traceless deviatoric stress and an isotropic tensor which is conserved in monatomic gases. Applying the decomposition to the thermal lattice Boltzmann model for polyatomic gases [Phys. Rev. E 77, 035701(R) (2008)PRESCM1539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.77.035701], the shear and bulk viscosities are decoupled by two independent relaxation times. The hydrodynamic equation of the model is obtained via Chapman-Enskog calculation and verified by numerical simulation.