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How are shockwaves able to refract? As said here,

When two shock waves collide, they interact with each other and produce complex patterns of compression, rarefaction, and reflection. The resulting behavior depends on the strength, speed, and direction of the shock waves, as well as the properties of the medium they are traveling through.

I understand how they might be able to pass through each other, but why would they refract? Light and optics are a bit different than aerodynamics at supersonic speeds I'd imagine.

Also, refracting meaning when a shockwave refracts off of another shockwave. I assume they have to be different densities to refract off of each other.

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Light is linear (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwinger_limit, notwithstanding), and by that I mean solutions to maxwells equations can be added: your kitchen magnet doesn't care if your AM radio station is Tx-ing doesn't care if your WiFi is on doesn't care if your cellie is on doesn't care if the lights are on doesn't care if your UV flashlight is on doesn't care if your scotch tape is emitting X-rays doesn't care if your cobalt 60 source is emitting gamma rays everywhere.

Shock waves are far in the non-linear regime---much like water waves, where clapotis is a thing:

enter image description here

in which waves don't just pass through each other as if there was no obstacle in the way.

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    $\begingroup$ The OP asked why shock waves refract. Saying they are nonlinear isn't really sufficient as some solitons are nonlinear and do not refract when they pass through each other or other waves... $\endgroup$
    – honeste_vivere
    Commented Apr 1 at 14:54

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