Diffuse-boundary Rayleigh-Taylor instability

Journal Article · Mon Oct 09 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.41.1048· OSTI ID:6580055

Ott, E; Russell, D A

For density profiles, N (y), making a smooth transition from N (-infinity) = 0 to N ( + infinity) = const with dlnN/dy decreasing monotonically with y, it is shown that the Rayleigh-Taylor instability exhibits essentially different behavior above and below a certain critical wave number, k/sub c/. For k > k/sub c/ the growth of the response to an initial perturbation is slower than exponential, approx. t/sup -1/2/ exp(..gamma../sub b/t). For k < k/sub c/ and unstable eigenmode (analogous to that in the sharp boundary case) exists, and purely exponential growth occurs.

• Research Organization: Department of Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
• OSTI ID: 6580055
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 41:15; ISSN PRLTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640410* -- Fluid Physics-- General Fluid Dynamics
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ASYMPTOTIC SOLUTIONS
BOUNDARY-VALUE PROBLEMS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EIGENFUNCTIONS
EQUATIONS
FUNCTIONS
GAUSS FUNCTION
GREEN FUNCTION
INSTABILITY
INTEGRAL TRANSFORMATIONS
LAPLACE TRANSFORMATION
PERTURBATION THEORY
RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY
TRANSFORMATIONS