Abstract
We analyze the main features of radiation-mediated shocks at arbitrary shock velocities, both non-relativistic and relativistic. We describe two mechanisms, which may lead to formation of a sharp viscous subshock within otherwise smooth velocity profile at the shock front, even if the radiation pressure in the upstream is overwhelmingly large. These mechanisms are specific to sub-relativistic and relativistic radiation-mediated shocks and set high-velocity shocks apart from their non-relativistic counterparts, which do not develop a subshock if the radiation pressure is high enough. We briefly discuss implications of this finding.
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Paper presented at the Third Zeldovich meeting, an international conference in honor of Ya.B. Zeldovich held in Minsk, Belarus on April 23–27, 2018. Published by the recommendation of the special editors: S.Ya. Kilin, R. Ruffini, and G.V. Vereshchagin.
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Derishev, E. Radiation-Mediated Shocks: Kinetic Processes and Transition to Collisionless Shocks. Astron. Rep. 62, 868–873 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S106377291812020X
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S106377291812020X