Richtmyer-Meshkov and Combustion.
Ritchmyer-Meshkov instabilities are often manifest in natural
as well as in man-made phenomena. They occur in supernovae and
have been suggested as a mechanism for mixing in supersonic combustion.
My work
I've been conducting
computer simulations of a shock - accelerated helium bubble in
air. As the shock passes through the bubble, it deposits vorticity on
the air - bubble interface, which over time deforms the shape of the
bubble, thus increasing its burning area.
- Vorticity.
This area is primarily a study of complex shock wave interactions
as the incident shock refracts and reflects at the density
discontinuity as well as from the boundaries. A pressure map
demonstrates the shock structures pretty well.
- Pressure.
The complex waves along with the evolving vorticity deform the
bubble, thus rendering a larger burning area. Most of the deformation
is caused by the vorticity. The following picture shows a deforming
bubble after the shock has passed. This also brings out the complex
shock structure in the interaction.
- Density.
The Future
This aspect of Ritchmyer-Meshkov instabilities has not been studied
much. It is intractable analytically, but much can be done in the
form of a thorough numerical study, which might present some ideas
for a reduced model. This is what I propose to do in the coming years.
Go to interactions at planar interfaces .
jaray@www.caip.rutgers.edu