Scaling supernova hydrodynamics to the laboratory

Supernova (SN) 1987A focused attention on the critical role of hydrodynamic instabilities in the evolution of supernovae. To test the modeling of thes e instabilities, we are developing laboratory experiments of hydrodynamic m ixing under conditions relevant to supernovae. Initial results were reporte d in J. Kane et al. [Astrophys. J. 478, L75 (1997) and B. A. Remington et a l., Phys. Plasmas 4, 1994 (1997)]. The Nova laser is used to generate a 10- 15 Mbar shock at the interface of a two-layer planar target, which triggers perturbation growth due to the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability, and to the R ayleigh-Taylor instability as the interface decelerates. This resembles the hydrodynamics of the He-H interface of a Type II supernova at intermediate times, up to a few X 10(3) s. The scaling of hydrodynamics on microscopic laser scales to the SN-size scales is presented. The experiment is modeled using the hydrodynamics codes HYADES [J. T. Larson and S. M. Lane, J. Quant . Spect. Rad. Trans. 51, 179 (1994)] and CALE [R. T. Barton, Numerical Astr ophysics (Jones and Bartlett, Boston, 1985), pp. 482-497], and the supernov a code PROMETHEUS [P. R. Woodward and P. Collela, J. Comp. Phys. 54, 115 (1 984)]. Results of the experiments and simulations are presented. Analysis o f the spike-and-bubble velocities using potential flow theory and Ott thin- shell theory is presented, as well as a study of 2D versus 3D differences i n perturbation growth at the He-H interface of SN 1987A. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-664X(99)93205-6].