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Title: Statistical theories of Rayleigh-Taylor instability for compressible fluids

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6861214

Statistical theories for the outer envelope of the Rayleigh-Taylor mixing layer refer to a simplified dynamics of fundamental modes and their interactions. These modes are bubbles of light fluid entrained in the mixing layer between the undisturbed light and heavy fluids. The dynamics can be understood in terms of the motion of a single mode and the interactions between modes. The single mode dynamics has to be solved self-consistently in a background field of random bubbles. The dominant interaction is bubble merger, i.e., the spreading of larger bubbles at the bubble envelope. Merger leads to dynamically increasing length scales, and thus to a dynamic renormalization of scaling dimensions. The mechanism for bubble merger is the differential motion of physically adjacent single bubble modes. This paper is focused on the above topics: single bubble motion, bubble interactions and statistical models. 10 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
6861214
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-88-3702; CONF-8810234-1; ON: DE89003472
Resource Relation:
Conference: Workshop on the physics of compressible turbulent mixing, Princeton, NJ, USA, 24 Oct 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English