The turbulent mixing generated at the surface of an inertial-confinement fusion target affected by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability is studied with the use of a simple, nonlinear diffusion model. In order to study the turbulent mixing at the ablation front, a reduced growth rate of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability is used in the model. It is found that, compared with the classical layered fluids, turbulent mixing at the ablation front is significantly suppressed because of the ablative stabilization effect. With the use of a constant-acceleration model, we conclude that targets imploded with an in-flight aspect ratio less than about 50 to 70 survive without suffering shell breakup as a result of the turbulent mixing.

• Received 2 January 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.44.5142