Cause of shock-cell weakening in simulated-flight jets

Identify the underlying cause by which a subsonic flight stream weakens the shock cells of an underexpanded jet in simulated-flight experiments.

Background

The introduction discusses experiments on underexpanded jets issuing into simulated flight streams. Although later measurements found that the shock cells weaken as the free-stream velocity increases, the cited study did not determine the physical mechanism responsible for this weakening. The question is relevant to understanding how an external stream modifies the near-field shock system.

References

However, the underlying cause for weakening of shock-cell strength was not identified and left for future work.

— Mach-disk formation and shock-structure transitions in underexpanded coflowing jets  (2608.18923 - Dhungana et al., 19 Aug 2026) in Section 1, Introduction