Startup process in the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability

An analytical model for the initial growth period of the planar Richtmyer–Meshkov instability is presented for the case of a reflected shock, which corresponds in general to light-to-heavy interactions. The model captures the main features of the interfacial perturbation growth before the regime with linear growth in time is attained. The analysis provides a characteristic time scale for the startup phase of the instability, expressed explicitly as a function of the perturbation wavenumber k, the algebraic transmitted and reflected shock speeds US1 0 and US2 0 defined in the frame of the accelerated interface , and the postshock Atwood number A+: = 1−A+ /US2 + 1+A + / −US1 / 2k . Results are compared with computations obtained from two-dimensional highly resolved numerical simulations over a wide range of incident shock strengths S and preshock Atwood ratios A. An interesting observation shows that, within this model, the amplitude of small perturbations across a light-to-heavy interface evolves quadratically in time and not linearly in the limit A→1−. © 2009 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.3091943