Effect of magnetic field on Rayleigh-Taylor instability of two superposed fluids

Abstract

The effect of two dimensional magnetic field on the Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instability in an incompressible plasma is investigated to include simultaneously the effects of suspended particles and the porosity of the medium. The relevant linearized perturbation equations have been solved. The explicit expression of the linear growth rate is obtained in the presence of fixed boundary conditions. A stability criterion for the medium is derived and discussed the Rayleigh Taylor instabilities in different configurations. It is found that the basic Rayleigh-Taylor instability condition is modified by the presence of magnetic field, suspended particles and porosity of the medium. In case of an unstable R-T configuration, the magnetic field has a stabilizing effect on the system. It is also found that the growth rate of an unstable R-T mode decreases with increasing relaxation frequency thereby showing a stabilizing influence on the R-T configuration.