Nonclassical Riemann solvers and kinetic relations. I: A nonconvex hyperbolic model of phase transitions (Q5945144)

The \(p\)-system, a system of two conservation laws in one space dimension and time, is a simple model of dynamic phase transitions in 1-\(d\) nonlinear elasticity when the nonlinearity is nonmonotone. Nonmonotonicity implies that the system is of mixed hyperbolic and elliptic type. Phase transitions are characterized by the so-called kinetic relation that distinguishes shock waves that are admissible phase transitions from those that are not. In the present paper, this idea is formulated for the hyperbolic \(p\)-system in which the nonlinearity is monotonic but nonconvex. The analogue of the dynamic phase boundaries are nonclassical shocks, otherwise known as undercompressive shocks. These are used to provide nonclassical solutions of Riemann problems. Interestingly, nonclassical solutions for given initial data are unique (and so are classical solutions), in contrast with the nonhyperbolic case, where nonclassical solutions are famously nonunique, and classical solutions fail to exist for a large subset of possible initial data. This paper is part of an extensive program on nonclassical waves undertaken by LeFloch and collaborators. Much of this program is presented in the recent book of \textit{P. G. LeFloch} [Hyperbolic systems of conservation laws, Basel, Birkhäuser (2002; Zbl 1019.35001)]. For Part II, see Proc. R. Soc. Edinb., Sect. A, Math. 132, 181-219 (2002; Zbl 1021.35073).