Bubble Acceleration in the Ablative Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Journal Article · Mon Nov 20 00:00:00 EST 2006 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.205002· OSTI ID:895299

Betti, R; Sanz, J

The highly nonlinear evolution of the single-mode Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) at the ablation front of an accelerated target is investigated in the parameter range typical of inertial confinement fusion implosions. A new phase of the nonlinear bubble evolution is discovered. After the linear growth phase and a short constant-velocity phase, it is found that the bubble is accelerated to velocities well above the classical value. This acceleration is driven by the vorticity accumulation inside the bubble resulting from the mass ablation adn vorticity convection off the ablation front. While the albative growth rates are slower than their classical values in the linear regime, the ablative RTI grows faster than the classical RTI in the nonlinear regime for deuterium and tritium ablators.

• Research Organization: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochseter
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FC52-92SF19460
• OSTI ID: 895299
• Report Number(s): DOE/SF/19460-708; 1670; 2006-44
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 97
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English