Shock-wave front thickness in a liquid estimated on the basis of the Navier–Stokes equations using a modified van der Waals model

Stationary plane shock-wave profiles in liquid argon are calculated by solution of the Navier–Stokes equations with the use of the equation of state and transport coefficients defined by a modified van der Waals model. The results are compared with previous molecular dynamics calculations and calculations based on the Navier–Stokes solution with the use of the Lennard–Jones potential. Their good agreement is shown in the pressure range $\approx$1–40 GPa. Apparently, for other simple liquids, the accuracy of estimates of the shock-wave thickness is expected to be the similar to that for argon. An advantage of this approach is the relative simplicity of the expressions for the thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of the liquid, whose parameters can be easily calibrated base on available experimental data on compressibility.