Self-similar flow behind a spherical shock wave in a non-ideal dusty gas under a gravitational field: Isothermal flow Original Research Article

Similarity solutions are obtained for one-dimensional unsteady isothermal flow of a dusty gas behind a spherical shock wave with time dependent energy input. The dusty gas is assumed to be a mixture of non-ideal (or perfect) gas and small solid particles, in which solid particles are continuously distributed. It is assumed that the equilibrium flow-conditions are maintained, and the viscous stress and heat conduction of the mixture are negligible. The medium is taken to be under the influence of the gravitational field due to a heavy nucleus at the origin (Roche model). The total energy of the flow-field behind the shock is increasing. The effects of an increase in the mass concentration of solid particles, the ratio of the density of the solid particles to the initial density of the gas, the gravitational parameter (or shock Mach number), and the parameter of non-idealness of the gas in the mixture, are investigated. It is shown that due to presence of gravitational field the isothermal compressibility of the medium and the flow-variables increases and the shock strength decreases. A comparison has also been made between the medium with and without gravitational field. The shock waves in dusty medium can be important for description of star formation, shocks in supernova explosions, etc.