Scaling the incompressible Richtmyer-Meshkov instability

We present a scaling relation for Richtmyer-Meshkov instability of incompressible fluids. The relation is tested using both numerical and experimental data. We obtain a collapse of growth rates for a wide range of initial conditions by using vorticity and velocity scales derived from the interfacial perturbations and the acceleration impulse. The scaling relation differs from previous models in that it does not require knowledge of the initial rate of growth of the instability. The new model is based solely on (presumably) known initial conditions and is valid for large-amplitude multimode perturbations. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.