On the dynamics of Richtmyer-Meshkov bubbles in unstable three-dimensional interfacial coherent structures with time-dependent acceleration

Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) plays an important role in many areas of science and engineering, from supernovae and fusion to scramjets and nano-fabrication. Classical RMI is induced by a steady shock and impulsive acceleration, whereas in realistic environments, the acceleration is usually variable. We focus on RMI induced by acceleration with power-law time-dependence and apply group theory to study the dynamics of regular bubbles. For early time linear dynamics, we find the dependence of the growth rate on the initial conditions and show that it is independent of the acceleration parameters. For late-time nonlinear dynamics, we consider regular asymptotic solutions, find a continuous family of such solutions, including their curvature, velocity, Fourier amplitudes, and interfacial shear, and study their stability. For each solution, the interface dynamics is directly linked to the interfacial shear. The non-equilibrium velocity field has intense fluid motion near the interface and effectively no motion in the bulk. The quasi-invariance of the fastest stable solution suggests that the dynamics of nonlinear RM bubbles is characterized by two macroscopic length scales: the wavelength and the amplitude, in agreement with observations. The properties of a number of special solutions are outlined. These are the flat Atwood bubble, the curved Taylor bubble, the minimum shear bubble, the convergence limit bubble, and the critical bubble. We elaborate new theory benchmarks for future experiments and simulations.