Diffuse-Boundary Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Abstract
For density profiles, N(y), making a smooth transition from N(-∞)=0 to N(+∞)=const with dlnNdy decreasing monotonically with y, it is shown that the Rayléigh-Taylor instability exhibits essentially different behavior above and below a certain critical wave number, kc. For k>kc the growth of the response to an initial perturbation is slower than exponential, ~t-12exp(γbt). For k<kc an unstable eigenmode (analogous to that in the sharp boundary case) exists, and purely exponential growth occurs.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- October 1978
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.41.1048
- Bibcode:
- 1978PhRvL..41.1048O