Riemann solvers and undercompressive shocks of convex FPU chains

Abstract

We consider FPU-type atomic chains with general convex potentials. The naive continuum limit in the hyperbolic space–time scaling is the p-system of mass and momentum conservation. We systematically compare Riemann solutions to the p-system with numerical solutions to discrete Riemann problems in FPU chains, and argue that the latter can be described by modified p-system Riemann solvers. We allow the flux to have a turning point, and observe a third type of elementary wave (conservative shocks) in the atomistic simulations. These waves are heteroclinic travelling waves and correspond to non-classical, undercompressive shocks of the p-system. We analyse such shocks for fluxes with one or more turning points.Depending on the convexity properties of the flux we propose FPU-Riemann solvers. Our numerical simulations confirm that Lax shocks are replaced by so-called dispersive shocks. For convex–concave flux we provide numerical evidence that convex FPU chains follow the p-system in generating conservative shocks that are supersonic. For concave–convex flux, however, the conservative shocks of the p-system are subsonic and do not appear in FPU-Riemann solutions.