Numerical simulation of Rayleigh-Taylor instability in ablation driven systems

Two-dimensional numerical simulations of ablatively accelerated thin shells subject to Rayleigh-Taylor instability are presented. Results for both single wavelength and multiwavelength perturbations show that the nonlinear effects of the instability are evident mainly in the bubble rather than the spike. Approximate roles for predicting the dominant nonlinear mode-mode interactions, which limit shell performance, are also discussed. The work concludes with a discussion of recommendations for future work in this area