Numerical simulation of mixing by rayleigh-taylor and richtmyer-meshkov instabilities

Abstract

Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) and Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instabilities at the pusher-fuel interface in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets may significantly degrade thermonuclear burn. Present-day supercomputers may be used to understand the fundamental instability mechanisms and to model the effect of the ensuing mixing on the performance of the ICF target. Direct three-dimensional numerical simulation is used to investigate turbulent mixing due to RT and RM instability in simple situations. A two-dimensional turbulence model is used to assess the effect of small-scale turbulent mixing in the axisymmetric implosion of an idealized ICF target. © 1994, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.