Experimental Determination of the Growth Rate of Richtmyer-Meshkov Induced Turbulent Mixing after Reshock

Abstract

The Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability (RMI) develops when a shock wave impulsively accelerates an initially perturbed interface between two gases of different density, promoting their mixing inside a delimited zone, hereafter denoted the mixing zone (MZ). This mixing is a key issue for inertial confinement fusion process. It also finds applications in many different scientific and engineering issues, e.g. in supernova explosion or supersonic combustion [1]. In the context of inertial confinement fusion, the characterization of the RMI-induced mixing zone initiated by a shock and further amplified by a reshock is largely based on the temporal evolution of integral parameters such as the width of the MZ. This is classically achieved through shock tube experiments involving the time-resolved acquisition of Schlieren images.