Solution to the Riemann problem in a one-dimensional magnetogasdynamic flow

Abstract

The Riemann problem for a quasilinear hyperbolic system of equations governing the one-dimensional unsteady flow of an inviscid and perfectly conducting compressible fluid, subjected to a transverse magnetic field, is solved approximately. This class of equations includes as a special case the Euler equations of gasdynamics. It has been observed that in contrast to the gasdynamic case, the pressure varies across the contact discontinuity. The iterative procedure is used to find the densities between the left acoustic wave and the right contact discontinuity and between the right contact discontinuity and the right acoustic wave, respectively. All other quantities follow directly throughout the (x, t)-plane, except within rarefaction waves, where an extra iterative procedure is used along with a Gaussian quadrature rule to find particle velocity; indeed, the determination of the particle velocity involves numerical integration when the magneto-acoustic wave is a rarefaction wave. Lastly, we discuss numerical examples and study the solution influenced by the magnetic field.