Compressibility Effects on the Rayleigh--Taylor Instability Growth Rates

Effects of two compressibility parameters, i.e. the ratio of specific heats and the equilibrium pressure at the interface, on the Rayleigh--Taylor instability (RTI) growth rates are studied under the same initial conditions, which include the mass, pressure profile, and density profile of the two superposed fluids. The results obtained reconcile the stabilizing and destabilizing effects of compressibility reported in the literature. The influences of the ratio of specific heats on the RTI growth rates are not only stabilized but also destabilized. The effects of the equilibrium pressure at the interface on the growth rates are destabilized.