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Title: Effect of Initial Conditions on 2D Rayleigh-Taylor Instability and Transition to Turbulence in Planar Blast-wave-driven Systems

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
OSTI ID:15013965

Perturbations on an interface driven by a strong blast wave grow in time due to a combination of Rayleigh-Taylor, Richtmyer-Meshkov, and decompression effects. In this paper, we present the first results from a computational study of such a system under drive conditions to be attainable on the National Ignition Facility. Using the multiphysics, AMR, higher order Godunov Eulerian hydrocode, Raptor, we consider the late nonlinear instability evolution for multiple amplitude and phase realizations of a variety of multimode spectral types. We show that compressibility effects preclude the emergence of a regime of self-similar instability growth independent of the initial conditions by allowing for memory of the initial conditions to be retained in the mix width at all times. The loss of transverse spectral information is demonstrated, however, along with the existence of a quasi-self-similar regime over short time intervals. Certain aspects of the initial conditions, including the rms amplitude, are shown to have a strong effect on the time to transition to the quasi-self-similar regime.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
15013965
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JRNL-203282; PHPAEN; TRN: US0801273
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 11, Issue 11; ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English