Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Published on: March 3, 2017
Plasma instabilities in an anisotropically expanding geometry
Paul Romatschke1, Anton Rebhan
1Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld, D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany.
Abstract:
We study (3+1)D kinetic (Boltzmann-Vlasov) equations for relativistic plasma particles in a one dimensionally expanding geometry motivated by ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. We set up local equations in terms of Yang-Mills potentials and auxiliary fields that allow simulations of hard- (expanding-) loop dynamics on a lattice. We determine numerically the evolution of plasma instabilities in the linear (Abelian) regime and also derive their late-time behavior analytically, which is consistent with recent numerical results on the evolution of the so-called melting color-glass condensate. We also find a significant delay in the onset of growth of plasma instabilities which are triggered by small rapidity fluctuations, even when the initial state is highly anisotropic.
Related Concept Videos
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
Irrotational Flow
Thermal Expansion
Pressure and Volume in an Adiabatic Process
Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes
Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane

