Passive freeze-out of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
<jats:p>The Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) poses a major challenge in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) due to its role in mixing and performance degradation. We report the first experimental observation of passive freeze-out of RMI in a low-pressure surrogate regime, an instability stagnation effect induced without modifying the driving pressure pulse or the target surface geometry. Using additively manufactured subsurface voids in a sinusoidal target, we convert a single shock into a sequence of weaker shocks that suppress instability growth upstream of the surface by over 70%. High-speed x-ray imaging and hydrodynamic simulations suggest that this suppression arises primarily from temporal shaping, with lesser contributions from spatial curvature and shock weakening. Our results demonstrate a driver-independent pathway for controlling shock-driven hydrodynamic instabilities relevant to ICF and other high energy density systems.</jats:p>
Date Issued
2026-04-10
Date Acceptance
2026-03-10
Citation
Physical Review Letters, 2026, 136 (14)
ISSN
0031-9007
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Start Page
145102
Journal / Book Title
Physical Review Letters
Volume
136
Issue
14
Copyright Statement
Copyright © The Author(s). Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/42033706
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
145102
Date Publish Online
2026-04-10