The Riemann problem for the pressure-gradient system in three pieces

AbstractThe Riemann problem for a two-dimensional pressure-gradient system is considered. The initial data are three constants in three fan domains forming different angles. Under the assumption that only a rarefaction wave, shock wave or contact discontinuity connects two neighboring constant initial states, it is proved that the cases involving three rarefaction waves are impossible. For the cases involving one shock (rarefaction) wave and two rarefaction (shock) waves, only the combinations when the three elementary waves have the same sign are possible (impossible)