title: Rarefaction waves in van der Waals fluids with an arbitrary number of degrees of freedom.
abstract: The isentropic expansion of an instantaneously and homogeneously heated foil is calculated using a 1D fluid model. The initial temperature and density are assumed to be in the vicinity of the critical temperature and solid density, respectively. The fluid is assumed to satisfy the van der Waals equation of state with an arbitrary number of degrees of freedom. Self-similar Riemann solutions are found. With a larger number of degrees of freedom f, depending on the initial dimensionless entropy s[over ̃]_{0}, a richer family of foil expansion behaviors have been found. We calculate the domain in parameter space where these behaviors occur. In total, eight types of rarefaction waves are found and described.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Barnard