A platform for studying the Rayleigh–Taylor and Richtmyer–Meshkov instabilities in a planar geometry at high energy density at the National Ignition Facility

• Published in: Physics of plasmas 2017-07, Vol.24 (7)
• Main Authors: Nagel, S. R., Raman, K. S., Huntington, C. M., MacLaren, S. A., Wang, P., Barrios, M. A., Baumann, T., Bender, J. D., Benedetti, L. R., Doane, D. M., Felker, S., Fitzsimmons, P., Flippo, K. A., Holder, J. P., Kaczala, D. N., Perry, T. S., Seugling, R. M., Savage, L., Zhou, Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Computational fluid dynamics; Computer simulation; Fine structure; Fluid flow; Flux density; Ignition; Initial conditions; Laser beams; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Physics; Plasma physics; Radiography; X-ray radiography
• ISSN: 1070-664X; 1089-7674
• DOI: 10.1063/1.4985312

A new experimental platform has been developed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) for studying the Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) and Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instabilities in a planar geometry at high-energy-densities. The platform uses 60 beams of the NIF laser to drive an initially solid shock tube containing a pre-machined interface between dense and light materials. The strong shock turns the initially solid target into a plasma and the material boundary into a fluid interface with the imprinted initial condition. The interface evolves by action of the RT and RM instabilities, and the growth is imaged with backlit x-ray radiography. We present our first data involving sinusoidal interface perturbations driven from the heavy side to the light side. Late-time radiographic images show the initial conditions reaching the deeply nonlinear regime, and an evolution of fine structure consistent with a transition to turbulence. We show preliminary comparisons with post-shot numerical simulations and discuss the implications for future campaigns.