Two Dimensional Riemann Problems for the Nonlinear Wave System: Rarefaction Wave Interactions

We analyze rarefaction wave interactions of self-similar transonic irrotational flow in gas dynamics for the two dimensional Riemann problems. We establish the existence result of the supersonic solution to the prototype nonlinear wave system for the sectorial Riemann data, and study the formation of the sonic boundary and the transonic shock. The transition from the sonic boundary to the shock boundary inherits at least two types of degeneracies (1) the system is sonic, and in addition (2) the angular derivative of the solution becomes zero where the sonic and shock boundaries meet.