Destabilizing effect of thermal conductivity on the Rayleigh–Taylor instability in a plasma

It is shown that the Rayleigh–Taylor instability in a compressible medium is not necessarily stabilized by thermal conductivity. It is pointed out that one can use the destabilization effect for in situ measurements of thermal conductivity in high-energy-density experiments. The other consequence is generation of small-scale turbulence in supernovae, giving rise to significant turbulent viscosity.