The Converging Shock Driven Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability in Magnetohydrodynamics (2012-2014)

In inertial confinement fusion, which promises carbon-free energy production, the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability is driven by a spherically converging shock impacting on near spherical interfaces. If uncontrolled, this instability limits the chance of energy production. We have shown that in magnetohydrodynamics, the planar shock driven instability can be suppressed by a magnetic field. The effects of a magnetic field on both the instability in a spherical geometry and the surrounding flow have yet to be investigated. We propose to carry out a fundamental computational study of the converging shock driven instability in the presence of a magnetic field. The outcome of this study will be a detailed understanding of the resulting flow.