Observation and analysis of emergent coherent structures in a high-energy-density shock-driven planar mixing layer experiment.

Abstract

Coherent emergent structures have been observed in a high-energy-density supersonic mixing layer experiment. A millimeter-scale shock tube uses lasers to drive Mbar shocks into the tube volume. The shocks are driven into initially solid foam (60 mg/cm^{3}) hemicylinders separated by an Al or Ti metal tracer strip; the components are vaporized by the drive. Before the experiment disassembles, the shocks cross at the tube center, creating a very fast (ΔU> 200km/s) shear-unstable zone. After several nanoseconds, an expanding mixing layer is measured, and after 10+ ns we observe the appearance of streamwise-periodic, spanwise-aligned rollers associated with the primary Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of mixing layers. We additionally image roller pairing and spanwise-periodic streamwise-aligned filaments associated with secondary instabilities. New closures are derived to connect length scales of these structures to estimates of fluctuating velocity data otherwise unobtainable in the high-energy-density environment. This analysis indicates shear-induced specific turbulent energies 10^{3}-10^{4} times higher than the nearest conventional experiments. Because of difficulties in continuously driving systems under these conditions and the harshness of the experimental environment limiting the usable diagnostics, clear evidence of these developing structures has never before been observed in this regime.