The paper is concerned, with the relativistic theory of shock phenomena in a simple, nonconducting fluid. Three conditions on the equation of state are exhibited which yield the result (demanded by the principle of causality) that the shock speed shall always be less than the fundamental velocity c. By a consideration of one-dimensional continuous flow, an additional condition, expressing the stability of compressive shocks, is derived. On the basis of these four conditions, it is then proved that, as in the classical theory, entropy rises across a compressive shock, and the transition in the fluid velocity relative to a normally incident shock is from supersonic to subsonic.
Equation of State of a Relativistic Theory from a Moving Frame
