Oblique shocks and the combined Rayleigh–Taylor, Kelvin–Helmholtz, and Richtmyer–Meshkov instabilities

This Letter considers the evolution of perturbations at an interface between two fluids subjected to an oblique shock. The normal component of the shock generates the Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instability, and the parallel component generates the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability. If a constant normal acceleration is also present it induces the Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instability or, depending on the sign of gA (g=acceleration, A=Atwood number), it acts to stabilize the KH and RM instabilities. Treating the shock as an instantaneous acceleration, analytic formulas are derived for the evolution of the perturbations. This Letter illustrates with an application to inertial-confinement-fusion capsules.