Relaxation approximation of the Euler equations (Q950481)

The approximation of solution to the one-dimensional compressible Euler equations by solutions to an enlarged hyperbolic system with a strong relaxation term is showed. The enlarged hyperbolic system is linearly degenerate and is therefore suitable to build an efficient approximate Riemann solver. From a theoretical point of view, the convergence of solutions to the enlarged system towards solutions to the Euler equations is proved for local in time smooth solutions. Arbitrarily large shock waves for the Euler equations admit smooth shock profiles for the enlarged relaxation system. The results of convergence by proposing a numerical procedure to solve the enlarged hyperbolic system is illustrated.