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Wavefronts and shocks in the vicinity of sonic lines
Author(s) -
Núñez Manuel
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
zamm ‐ journal of applied mathematics and mechanics / zeitschrift für angewandte mathematik und mechanik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.449
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1521-4001
pISSN - 0044-2267
DOI - 10.1002/zamm.201700064
Subject(s) - wavefront , speed of sound , physics , mechanics , acoustics , geology , flow (mathematics) , classical mechanics , optics
Sonic points in an equilibrium fluid are those for which the speed of sound equals the flow velocity. We study how high frequency waves evolve in the presence of sonic points. It is shown that their behavior depends in an essential way on the original direction of the wave normal, and the effects of sonic points extend far beyond their immediate vicinity. The transport equation along rays of perturbations of the original equilibrium is also detailed, obtaining conditions for their evolution into shocks.