2D Nonlinear Perturbation

Nonlinear perturbations were imposed on 2D steady shocks by stretching the cooling region by a factor that varied sinusoidally across the shock front. Images from late in the evolution of four simulations are shown below, as well as an example animation. In all cases the shock back - the discontinuity separating the cooling region and the cold gas layer - is dynamical unstable.

The above images display the gas density, with the dark blue representing the low density of the incoming supersonic gas, and red representing the high density of the cooled postshock gas. The images on the left are from simulations with radiative cooling independent of temperature (alpha=0.), the images on the right have radiative cooling proportional to temperature (alpha=1.). The top two images are for a Mach number of the incoming flow equal to 5, the bottom for a Mach number of 40.

Mpeg of the alpha=0, Mach=5 simulation.

Return to the Radiative Shocks page.