Molecular Dynamics Analysis of Shock Phenomena

Abstract

The effects of shock waves are evident in such common occurrences as the thunderclap following a lightening strike or the craters visible on the Moon [1]. Shock waves can result from or cause various physical and chemical processes. For example, shock waves can cause chemical reactions which subsequently couple with the shock wave to generate an explosive self-sustaining detonation (see, for example, Ref. 2). The ability of chemical reactions to couple with shock waves has direct implications on the strength and sensitivity of explosives and, therefore, their usefulness and safety in industrial and defense applications. Likewise, shock waves can also cause physical changes such as a transition to a high-pressure phase in a material [3]. This polymorphic phase transition can couple with the shock to produce a split shock wave profile [4]. These phase changes might place the material in a state that remains stable upon the release of pressure, such as the transition of graphite to diamond (lonsdaleite) [5]. Shock waves can therefore transform a material into a state that has more desirable properties or economic value and at the same time produce interesting phenomena such as shock wave splitting.