Shock Wave Structure in a Monatomic Gas Mix with Rydberg Atoms

The effect of atom size on the shock wave structure in a binary monatomic gas mix with Rydberg atoms has been investigated. The problem was solved numerically using the system of hydrodynamic equations in Argon gas, for the atom size ratios between 2 and 100, T = 1500 K, and the density between 10¹⁷ and 10²⁰ m^-3. It was found that the presence of larger size atoms in the mix results in the shock front splitting that is on the order of mean free path for this component. The results can be of interest in supersonic plasma dynamics and in astrophysics studying shock waves in the environments where high-n Rydberg states are present.