Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz Instabilities in Targets Accelerated by Laser Ablation

Abstract

With use of the FAST 2D laser-shell model, the acceleration of a 20-μm-thick plastic foil up to 160 km/s has been simulated. It is possible to follow the Rayleigh-Taylor bubble-and-spike development far into the nonlinear regime and beyond the point of foil fragmentation. Strong shear flow develops which evolves into the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability causes the tips of the spikes to widen and as a result reduce their rate of "fall."