Phase transitions and shock waves in nuclei

In the present paper the authors investigate the compatibility of shock waves and phase transitions in nuclear matter. It is shown that a continuous phase transition, i.e. the coexistence of the two phases, is not compatible with the existence of a sharp shock front. In this case shock waves become hydrodynamically unstable which may lead to a suppression of shock phenomena in certain energy windows in high energy heavy ion collisions. (Auth.)