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Asymptotic spike evolution in Rayleigh–Taylor instability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2005

PAUL CLAVIN
Affiliation:
Institut de Recherche sur les Phénomènes Hors Équilibre, CNRS/Université d'Aix-Marseille I & II, 49, rue Joliot Curie, BP 146, F-13384 Marseille cedex, France
FORMAN WILLIAMS
Affiliation:
Center for Energy Research, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92013-0411, USA

Abstract

An analytical study of the asymptotic behaviour of descending spikes is carried out for the idealized limit of an inviscid, incompressible fluid without surface tension, bounded by a vacuum. A self-similar solution is obtained for the shape of the free surface at the spike tip, yielding the evolution in time of the surface curvature there. The approach to free-fall acceleration is shown to follow an inverse power law in time. Results are given for both planar (two-dimensional) and axisymmetric spikes. Potential areas of application include ablation-front dynamics in inertial-confinement fusion.

Type
Papers
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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