pde/burgers_shock.viv

XMIN = -1.0
XMAX = 2.0

#| Godunov's flux at every face between a cell and its right neighbor.
def godunov_flux(u) {
    ul = max(u, 0.0)
    ur = min(roll(u, -1.0), 0.0)
    return max(0.5 * ul * ul, 0.5 * ur * ur)
}

#| March n cells to t_end from a step (left state, right state) at x = 0.
def march(n, t_end, left, right) {
    h = (XMAX - XMIN) / n
    u = zeros(n)
    for i to n {
        x = XMIN + (i + 0.5) * h
        u[i] = right
        if x < 0.0 { u[i] = left }
    }
    steps = round(t_end / (0.5 * h))
    dt = t_end / steps
    hold = zeros(n) + 1.0
    hold[0] = 0.0
    hold[n - 1.0] = 0.0
    for s to steps {
        f = godunov_flux(u)
        u = u - (dt / h) * (f - roll(f, 1.0)) * hold
    }
    return u
}

N = 300
H = (XMAX - XMIN) / N
T_END = 1.2
shock = march(N, T_END, 1.0, 0.0)
fan = march(N, T_END, 0.0, 1.0)

# the shock: where is it, and was anything lost?
mass = sum(shock) * H
mass_exact = (0.0 - XMIN) + 0.5 * T_END
position = XMIN + mass
show mass
show position

# the fan: compare with u = x/t inside it
fan_error = 0.0
X = zeros(N)
FAN_EXACT = zeros(N)
for i to N {
    X[i] = XMIN + (i + 0.5) * H
    e = 0.0
    if X[i] > 0.0 { e = min(X[i] / T_END, 1.0) }
    FAN_EXACT[i] = e
    fan_error = fan_error + abs(fan[i] - e) * H
}
show fan_error

figure("Two Riemann problems for Burgers' equation at t = 1.2", "x", "u")
plot(X, shock, "$u_L = 1$, $u_R = 0$: a shock at $x = t/2$")
plot(X, fan, "$u_L = 0$, $u_R = 1$: a rarefaction, computed")
plot(X, FAN_EXACT, "the fan u = x/t, exact")

test "conservation is exact: the mass is what flowed in, to rounding" {
    assert_near(mass, mass_exact, 1.0e-12)
}
test "so the shock sits at x = t/2, the Rankine-Hugoniot speed" {
    assert_near(position, 0.5 * T_END, 1.0e-12)
}
test "the shock is captured in at most three cells, with no overshoot" {
    worst = 0.0
    smeared = 0.0
    for i to N {
        worst = max(worst, shock[i] - 1.0)
        worst = max(worst, 0.0 - shock[i])
        if shock[i] > 0.01 and shock[i] < 0.99 { smeared = smeared + 1.0 }
    }
    assert_lt(worst, 1.0e-12)
    assert_lt(smeared, 3.5)
}
test "the rarefaction opens into the fan u = x/t, not an expansion shock" {
    assert_lt(fan_error, 0.02)
}

# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 The Viv authors