Abstract
A varicose-profile, thin layer of heavy gas ( ) in lighter gas (air) is impulsively accelerated by a planar, Mach 1.2 shock, producing the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. We present the first measurements of the circulation in the curtain during the vortex-dominated, nonlinear stage of the instability evolution. These measurements, based on particle image velocimetry data, are employed to validate an idealized model of the nonlinear perturbation growth.
- Received 2 December 1999
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.4353
©2000 American Physical Society