The linked fluid dynamics videos depict Rayleigh-Taylor turbulence whendriven by a complex acceleration profile involving two stages of accelerationinterspersed with a stage of stabilizing deceleration. Rayleigh-Taylor (RT)instability occurs at the interface separating two fluids of differentdensities, when the lighter fluid is accelerated in to the heavier fluid. Theturbulent mixing arising from the development of the miscible RT instability isof key importance in the design of Inertial Confinement Fusion capsules, and tothe understanding of astrophysical events, such as Type Ia supernovae. Bydriving this flow with an accel-decel-accel profile, we have investigated howstructures in RT turbulence are affected by a sudden change in the direction ofthe acceleration first from destabilizing acceleration to deceleration, andfollowed by a restoration of the unstable acceleration. By studying turbulenceunder such highly non-equilibrium conditions, we hope to develop anunderstanding of the response and recovery of self-similar turbulence to suddenchanges in the driving acceleration.
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