Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Rayleigh-Taylor mixing in supernova experiments

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4931927· OSTI ID:1460066
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [1]
  1. Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
  2. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
  3. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
  4. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Here, we report a scrupulous analysis of data in supernova experiments that are conducted at high power laser facilities in order to study core-collapse supernova SN1987A. Parameters of the experimental system are properly scaled to investigate the interaction of a blast-wave with helium-hydrogen interface, and the induced Rayleigh-Taylor instability and Rayleigh-Taylor mixing of the denser and lighter fluids with time-dependent acceleration. We analyze all available experimental images of the Rayleigh-Taylor flow in supernova experiments and measure delicate features of the interfacial dynamics. A new scaling is identified for calibration of experimental data to enable their accurate analysis and comparisons. By properly accounting for the imprint of the experimental conditions, the data set size and statistics are substantially increased. New theoretical solutions are reported to describe asymptotic dynamics of Rayleigh-Taylor flow with time-dependent acceleration by applying theoretical analysis that considers symmetries and momentum transport. Good qualitative and quantitative agreement is achieved of the experimental data with the theory and simulations. Our study indicates that in supernova experiments Rayleigh-Taylor flow is in the mixing regime, the interface amplitude contributes substantially to the characteristic length scale for energy dissipation; Rayleigh-Taylor mixing keeps order.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1460066
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 22486444
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL--734918; 887086
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 22; ISSN 1070-664X
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (50)

Taylor instability in shock acceleration of compressible fluids journal May 1960
Structure of the turbulent mixing zone on the boundary of two gases accelerated by a shock wave journal January 1990
Instability of the interface of two gases accelerated by a shock wave journal January 1972
HYADES—A plasma hydrodynamics code for dense plasma studies journal January 1994
High-mode Rayleigh-Taylor growth in NIF ignition capsules journal June 2010
Rayleigh–Taylor and Richtmyer–Meshkov instabilities for fluids with a finite density ratio journal October 2003
Relaminarization in highly accelerated turbulent boundary layers journal November 1973
The mixing transition in turbulent flows journal April 2000
Reynolds number effects on Rayleigh–Taylor instability with possible implications for type Ia supernovae journal July 2006
The upgrade to the OMEGA laser system journal January 1995
A scaling analysis of turbulent flows driven by Rayleigh–Taylor and Richtmyer–Meshkov instabilities journal February 2001
An experimental testbed for the study of hydrodynamic issues in supernovae journal May 2001
The time scale for the transition to turbulence in a high Reynolds number, accelerated flow journal March 2003
The physics basis for ignition using indirect-drive targets on the National Ignition Facility journal February 2004
Nonlinear mixing behavior of the three-dimensional Rayleigh–Taylor instability at a decelerating interface journal May 2004
A comparative study of the turbulent Rayleigh–Taylor instability using high-resolution three-dimensional numerical simulations: The Alpha-Group collaboration journal May 2004
Rayleigh–Taylor turbulent mixing of immiscible, miscible and stratified fluids journal August 2005
Perspectives on high-energy-density physics journal May 2009
Three-dimensional blast-wave-driven Rayleigh–Taylor instability and the effects of long-wavelength modes journal May 2009
Spike morphology in blast-wave-driven instability experiments journal May 2010
Short-wavelength and three-dimensional instability evolution in National Ignition Facility ignition capsule designs journal August 2011
Scale coupling in Richtmyer-Meshkov flows induced by strong shocks journal August 2012
The high-foot implosion campaign on the National Ignition Facility journal May 2014
Spanwise homogeneous buoyancy-drag model for Rayleigh–Taylor mixing and experimental evaluation journal June 2000
Application of high-power lasers to study matter at ultrahigh pressures journal March 1984
Similarity Criteria for the Laboratory Simulation of Supernova Hydrodynamics journal June 1999
Turbulent Convection in Stellar Interiors. I. Hydrodynamic Simulation journal September 2007
Turbulent Convection in Stellar Interiors. ii. the Velocity Field journal December 2008
Two-Dimensional Blast-Wave-Driven Rayleigh-Taylor Instability: Experiment and Simulation journal April 2009
Review of nonlinear dynamics of the unstable fluid interface: conservation laws and group theory journal October 2008
A comparative study of approaches for modeling Rayleigh–Taylor turbulent mixing journal December 2010
The Criterion for Turbulence in Curved Pipes journal June 1929
The mechanics of large bubbles rising through extended liquids and through liquids in tubes
  • Davies, R. M.; Taylor, Geoffrey Ingram
  • Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Vol. 200, Issue 1062, p. 375-390 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1950.0023
journal February 1950
Review of theoretical modelling approaches of Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities and turbulent mixing journal April 2010
Some peculiar features of hydrodynamic instability development journal November 2013
What is certain and what is not so certain in our knowledge of Rayleigh–Taylor mixing?
  • Anisimov, Sergei I.; Drake, R. Paul; Gauthier, Serge
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 371, Issue 2003 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0266
journal November 2013
Acceleration and turbulence in Rayleigh–Taylor mixing
  • Sreenivasan, Katepalli R.; Abarzhi, Snezhana I.
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 371, Issue 2003 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0267
journal November 2013
Turbulent mixing and beyond: non-equilibrium processes from atomistic to astrophysical scales II
  • Abarzhi, S. I.; Gauthier, S.; Sreenivasan, K. R.
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 371, Issue 2003 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0268
journal November 2013
Ultrashort shock waves in nickel induced by femtosecond laser pulses journal February 2013
Multiscale character of the nonlinear coherent dynamics in the Rayleigh-Taylor instability journal March 2006
Two-Zone Elastic-Plastic Single Shock Waves in Solids journal September 2011
Chaotic mixing as a renormalization-group fixed point journal April 1990
Power Laws and Similarity of Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov Mixing Fronts at All Density Ratios journal January 1995
Stable Steady Flows in Rayleigh-Taylor Instability journal July 1998
Phenomenology of Rayleigh-Taylor Turbulence journal September 2003
Fluid turbulence journal March 1999
The physics of fast Z pinches journal January 2000
Experimental astrophysics with high power lasers and Z pinches journal August 2006
On fundamentals of Rayleigh-Taylor turbulent mixing journal August 2010
Application of high-power lasers to study matter at ultrahigh pressures [Primenenie moshchnykh lazerov dlya issledovaniya veshchestva pri sverkhvysokikh davleniyakh] journal January 1984

Cited By (6)

Effects of Isothermal Stratification Strength on Vorticity Dynamics for Single-Mode Compressible Rayleigh-Taylor Instability preprint January 2018
Nonlinear Rayleigh–Taylor instability with horizontal magnetic field journal June 2019
Scaling laws for dynamical plasma phenomena journal October 2018
On the Rayleigh-Taylor unstable dynamics of three-dimensional interfacial coherent structures with time-dependent acceleration journal July 2019
Subdiffusive and superdiffusive transport in plane steady viscous flows journal March 2018
Rayleigh-Taylor instability experiments on the LULI2000 laser in scaled conditions for young supernova remnants journal August 2019

Similar Records

Rayleigh-Taylor mixing in supernova experiments
Journal Article · Thu Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Physics of Plasmas · OSTI ID:22486444

Theory and simulations of linear and nonlinear two-dimensional Rayleigh–Taylor dynamics with variable acceleration
Journal Article · Thu Apr 13 20:00:00 EDT 2023 · Physics of Fluids · OSTI ID:2565077