Quantitative theory of Richtmyer-Meshkov instability

The acceleration of a material interface by a shock wave generates an interface instability known as the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. Previous attempts to model the growth rate of the instability have produced values that are almost twice that of the experimental measurements. This Letter presents numerical simulations using front tracking that for the first time are in quantitative agreement with experiments of a shocked air-SF₆ interface. Moreover, the failure of the impulsive model, and the linear theory from which it is derived, to model experiments correctly is understood in terms of time limits on the validity of the linear model.