The Variable Density Model for the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability and its transformation to the diffusive, inhomogeneous, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

John D. Gibbon

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arXiv · 2108.00075

The Variable Density Model for the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability and its transformation to the diffusive, inhomogeneous, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

John D. Gibbon

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Abstract

It is shown how the variable density model (VDM) that governs the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) for the miscible mixing of two incompressible fluids can be transformed into a diffusive version of the inhomogeneous, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations forced by gradients of the composition density $\rho$ of the mixing layer. This demonstrates how buoyancy-driven flows drive and enhance Navier-Stokes turbulence. The role of the potential vorticity $q = \omega\cdot\nabla\rho$ is also discussed.

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John D. Gibbon. 2021-07-30. The Variable Density Model for the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability and its transformation to the diffusive, inhomogeneous, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.00075

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