Rayleigh–Taylor Instability With Varying Periods of Zero Acceleration

We present our findings from a numerical investigation of the acceleration-driven Rayleigh–Taylor Instability, modulated by varying periods without an applied acceleration field. It is well known from studies on shock-driven Richtmyer–Meshkov instability that mixing without external forcing grows with a scaling exponent as ≈t0.20−0.28⁠. When the Rayleigh–Taylor Instability is subjected to varying periods of “zero” acceleration, the structural changes to the mixing layer remain remarkably small. After the acceleration is re-applied, the mixing layer quickly resumes the profile of development it would have had if there had been no intermission. This behavior contrasts in particular with the strong sensitivity that is found to other variable acceleration profiles examined previously in the literature.