Boundary Layers and Shock Profiles for the Broadwell Model

Abstract

We consider the existence of nonlinear boundary layers and the typically nonlinear problem of existence of shock profiles for the Broadwell model, which is a simplified discrete velocity model for the Boltzmann equation. We find explicit expressions for the nonlinear boundary layers and the shock profiles. In spite of the few velocities used for the Broadwell model, the solutions are (at least partly) in qualitatively good agreement with the results for the discrete Boltzmann equation, that is the general discrete velocity model, and the full Boltzmann equation.