Abstract
The formation of a shock wave in one-dimensional granular gases is considered, for both the dry and the wet cases, and the results are compared with the analytical shock wave solution in a sticky gas. Numerical simulations show that the behavior of the shock wave in both cases tends asymptotically to the sticky limit. In the inelastic gas (dry case) there is a very close correspondence to the sticky gas, with one big cluster growing in the center of the shock wave, and a steplike stationary velocity profile. In the wet case, the shock wave has a nonzero width which is marked by two symmetric heavy clusters performing breathing oscillations with slowly increasing amplitude. All three models have the same asymptotic energy dissipation law, which is important in the context of the free cooling scenario. For the early stage of the shock formation and asymptotic oscillations we provide analytical results as well.