Self-similar processes in magnetogasdynamics shock waves

Abstract

Self-similar motion is of great importance in fluid dynamics, for example, in the determination of shock velocity and the flow-field behind the shock front. In such type of motions, the flow variables do not depend on coordinates and time separately, but depend only on particular combination of them. Thus for one-dimensional motion, only one independent variable appears instead of two variables r and t. Therefore the flow can be described by ordinary differential equations rather than by partial differential equations, and this simplifies the problem by numerical integrations considerably from a mathematical point of view.