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Updated: Jun 4, 2025
06:42
Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Published on: March 3, 2017
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Current-vortex-sheet model of the magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instability
Seunghyeon Baek1, Sung-Ik Sohn2
1Department of Applied Mathematical Sciences, , Sejong 30019, South Korea.
Physical Review. E
|December 18, 2024
Summary
A strong magnetic field stabilizes the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, preventing interface growth. Lower magnetic fields cause oscillations, while very strong fields lead to instability and magnetic field amplification.
Area of Science:
- Plasma physics
- Fluid dynamics
- Magnetohydrodynamics
Background:
- The Rayleigh-Taylor instability occurs at the interface of two fluids of different densities accelerated against each other.
- Magnetic fields can influence fluid instabilities, with applications in astrophysics and fusion energy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of a parallel magnetic field on the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.
- To analyze the linear and nonlinear behavior of the interface using a current-vortex-sheet model.
Main Methods:
- Linear stability analysis to determine the growth rate of the interface.
- Numerical computations to simulate the interface evolution for various Alfvén numbers (R_A).
Main Results:
- The interface is linearly stable for R_A ≤ 1.
- For R_A ≤ 1, the interface oscillates without intruding; amplitude and period decrease with R_A.
- For 1 < R_A ≲ 1.5, early growth is followed by oscillations without roll-ups, indicating stabilization.
- For R_A ≳ 3, the interface is unstable, with distinct evolution patterns and significant magnetic field amplification.
Conclusions:
- A sufficiently strong magnetic field stabilizes the nonlinear growth of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.
- The magnetic field strength significantly alters the instability dynamics and can lead to magnetic field amplification.
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