Self-consistent eigenvalue analysis of Rayleigh–Taylor instability in an ablating plasma

A mathematical method for a fully self-consistent treatment of the Rayleigh–Taylor instability is developed by solving the linearized fluid equations as an eigenvalue problem. The method is applied to analyze the instability in stationary ablating plasmas with strong inhomogeneity. A reduction of growth rate compared to the classical value is found. The importance of a self-consistent treatment of the Rayleigh–Taylor instability is shown by comparing the result with the growth rate estimated by approximate theoretical arguments.