An experimental platform for generating Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities on Z.
The Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability results when a shock wave crosses a rippled interface between two different materials. The shock deposited vorticity causes the ripples to grow into long spikes. Ultimately this process encourages mixing in many warm dense matter and plasma flows of interest. However, generating pure RM instabilities from initially solid targets is difficult because longlived, steady shocks are required. As a result only a few relevant experiments exist, and current theoretical understanding is limited. Here we propose using a flyer-plate driven target to generate RM instabilities with the Z machine. The target consists of a Be impact layer with sinusoidal perturbations and is followed by a low-density carbon foam. Simulation results show that the RM instability grows for 60 ns before release waves reach the perturbation. This long drive time makes Z uniquely suited for generating the high-quality data that is needed by the community.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 1095936
- Report Number(s):
- SAND2013-2716; 463471
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Studying the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability in convergent geometry under high energy density conditions using the Decel platform
On the late-time growth of the two-dimensional Richtmyer–Meshkov instability in shock tube experiments [On the late-time growth of the 2D Richtmyer–Meshkov instability in shock tube experiments]