The solution of the Riemann problem is one of the fundamental ingredients in theprocess of building higher-order Godunov schemes for the numerical solution of hyperbolic problems. In Balsara ( JQSRT, 1999, 61, 617–627) we were able to show that the equations ofradiation hydrodynamics can be viewed as a hyperbolic system of equations. As suggested byRoe ( J. Comput. Phys., 1981, 43, 357), much of the information generated in the process ofsolving the Riemann problem for hyperbolic systems is actually never used in the constructionof upwinded fluxes. This fact prompts the development of linearized formulations of theRiemann problem. In this paper we formulate such a linearized Riemann solver for theequations of radiation hydrodynamics. It is shown that a consistent state exists. The consistentstate that we have found also satisfies Roe’s Property U. As a result, isolated strong shocks ofarbitrary strength are exactly modeled by the Riemann solver. It is also shown that thisconsistent state can be used to advantage in evaluating the eigenvalues and eigenvectors thatresult from the linearization of the Riemann problem for radiation hydrodynamics.
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