event
Thursday 02 Apr 2020: Modelling the asymmetry of Rayleigh-Taylor mixing
Dr. Andrew Hillier - University of Exeter
Online 14:30-15:30
Mixing by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, a baroclinc instability that forms at density jumps, has a wide range of applications, including modelling supernovae and inertial confinement for fusion. The general model of the late time behaviour, which becomes self-similar, is once controlled by a parameter \alpha, which can be seen as a non-dimensional mixing rate. However, in experiments the measure of the parameter \alpha differs depending on whether you calculate from the top or bottom of the mixing layer. In this talk I will present my new model which shows that the asymmetry of the \alpha value can calculated directly from the density jump removing the asymmetry. I will look at how this calculation of asymmetry can be extended to calculate the released energy of the layer, giving some bounds on the turbulent energy in the system.
