Numerical techniques for multidimensional modeling of shock-generated turbulence

We discuss shock-generated turbulence as related to the dynamics of hot gaseous channels produced by laser pulses and electric discharges in gaseous atmospheres. Accurate models of channel development must account for compressible flows, which are associated with shocks that are present at early times, as well as the incompressible residual motion which is responsible for channel cooling. We present an efficient numerical technique which uses the flux-corrected transport algorithm and permits automatic adjustment of the time step size to account for both types of behavior. Comparisons of two-dimensional calculations to theory and to experimental data on laser channels show good agreement. Our numerical results reveal a mechanism by which the distribution of turbulent scale lengths is generated during energy deposition.