Development of the Raleigh-Tailor instability in inhomogeneous magnetic gas-dynamic flows

Abstract

Results of the numerical simulation of the development of the hydrodynamic Raleigh-Tailor instability, which occurs when a high-current discharge is moving in a rail accelerator and in MHD flows with a current layer, are presented. It is established that the development of the instability under the conditions of the flow of cold gas around the discharge region leads to the formation of an irregular vortex structure of the magnetic gas-dynamic flow in the channel.