Self-Similar Multimode Bubble-Front Evolution of the Ablative Rayleigh-Taylor Instability in Two and Three Dimensions

The self-similar nonlinear evolution of the multimode ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability (ARTI) is studied numerically in both two and three dimensions. It is shown that the nonlinear multimode bubble-front penetration follows the αbAT(∫gdt)2 scaling law with αb dependent on the initial conditions and ablation velocity. The value of αb is determined by the bubble competition theory, indicating that mass ablation reduces αb with respect to the classical value for the same initial perturbation amplitude. It is also shown that ablation-driven vorticity accelerates the bubble velocity and prevents the transition from the bubble competition to the bubble merger regime at large initial amplitudes leading to higher αb than in the classical case. Because of the dependence of αb on initial perturbation and vorticity generation, ablative stabilization of the nonlinear ARTI is not as effective as previously anticipated for large initial perturbations.