In 1992 Salomons and Mareschal [Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 269 (1992)] gave evidence that the Burnett equations can provide an important improvement over the Navier-Stokes equations for shock waves at high Mach numbers. In this Letter we solve the Burnett equations and make a comparison with the results from molecular dynamics, the Navier-Stokes equations, and the theory advanced by Holian et al. [Phys. Rev. E 47, R24 (1993)]. A qualitative analysis of the Burnett equations is also done and some open problems are mentioned.

• Received 12 February 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.2044