The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (after
Lord Kelvin
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, (26 June 182417 December 1907) was a British mathematician, Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist and engineer born in Belfast. Professor of Natural Philosophy (Glasgow), Professor of Natural Philoso ...
and
Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (31 August 1821 – 8 September 1894) was a German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields, particularly hydrodynamic stability. The Helmholtz Associatio ...
) is a
fluid instability that occurs when there is
velocity shear in a single
continuous fluid or a velocity difference across the interface between two
fluids. Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities are visible in the
atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...
s of planets and moons, such as in
cloud formations on
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
or the
Red Spot on
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...
, and the
atmospheres of the Sun and other stars.
Theory overview and mathematical concepts
Fluid dynamics
In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids— liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) an ...
predicts the onset of instability and transition to
turbulent flow
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between t ...
within
fluids of different
densities
Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek language, Greek letter Rho (letter), rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' ca ...
moving at different speeds.
If surface tension is ignored, two fluids in parallel motion with different velocities and densities yield an interface that is unstable to short-wavelength perturbations for all speeds. However,
surface tension is able to stabilize the short wavelength instability up to a threshold velocity.
If the density and velocity vary continuously in space (with the lighter layers uppermost, so that the fluid is
RT-stable), the dynamics of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is described by the
Taylor–Goldstein equation
The Taylor–Goldstein equation is an ordinary differential equation used in the fields of geophysical fluid dynamics, and more generally in fluid dynamics, in presence of quasi- 2D flows. It describes the dynamics of the Kelvin–Helmholtz insta ...
:
where
denotes the
Brunt–Väisälä frequency
In atmospheric dynamics, oceanography, asteroseismology and geophysics, the Brunt–Väisälä frequency, or buoyancy frequency, is a measure of the stability of a fluid to vertical displacements such as those caused by convection. More precisely ...
, U is the horizontal parallel velocity, k is the wave number, c is the eigenvalue parameter of the problem,
is complex amplitude of the
stream function
The stream function is defined for incompressible ( divergence-free) flows in two dimensions – as well as in three dimensions with axisymmetry. The flow velocity components can be expressed as the derivatives of the scalar stream function. T ...
. Its onset is given by the
Richardson number The Richardson number (Ri) is named after Lewis Fry Richardson (1881–1953). It is the dimensionless number that expresses the ratio of the buoyancy term to the flow shear term:
:
\mathrm = \frac = \frac \frac
where g is gravity, \rho is de ...
. Typically the layer is unstable for
. These effects are common in cloud layers. The study of this instability is applicable in plasma physics, for example in
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a fusion energy process that initiates nuclear fusion reactions by compressing and heating targets filled with thermonuclear fuel. In modern machines, the targets are small spherical pellets about the size of ...
and the
plasma–
beryllium
Beryllium is a chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal. It is a divalent element that occurs naturally only in combination with other elements to form m ...
interface. In situations where there is a state of static stability, evident by heavier fluids found below than the lower fluid, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability can be ignored as the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability is sufficient given the conditions.
Numerically, the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability is simulated in a temporal or a spatial approach. In the temporal approach, the flow is considered in a periodic (cyclic) box "moving" at mean speed (absolute instability). In the spatial approach, simulations mimic a lab experiment with natural inlet and outlet conditions (convective instability).
See also
*
Rayleigh–Taylor instability
The Rayleigh–Taylor instability, or RT instability (after Lord Rayleigh and G. I. Taylor), is an instability of an interface between two fluids of different densities which occurs when the lighter fluid is pushing the heavier fluid.
Drazin ( ...
*
Richtmyer–Meshkov instability The Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) occurs when two fluids of different density are impulsively accelerated. Normally this is by the passage of a shock wave. The development of the instability begins with small amplitude perturbations which ...
*
Mushroom cloud
A mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped flammagenitus cloud of debris, smoke and usually condensed water vapor resulting from a large explosion. The effect is most commonly associated with a nuclear explosion, but any sufficiently ener ...
*
Plateau–Rayleigh instability
The Plateau–Rayleigh instability, often just called the Rayleigh instability, explains why and how a falling stream of fluid breaks up into smaller packets with the same volume but less surface area. It is related to the Rayleigh–Taylor insta ...
*
Kármán vortex street
In fluid dynamics, a Kármán vortex street (or a von Kármán vortex street) is a repeating pattern of swirling vortices, caused by a process known as vortex shedding, which is responsible for the unsteady separation of flow of a fluid arou ...
*
Taylor–Couette flow
In fluid dynamics, the Taylor–Couette flow consists of a viscous fluid confined in the gap between two rotating cylinders. For low angular velocities, measured by the Reynolds number ''Re'', the flow is steady and purely azimuthal. This basic s ...
*
Fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids ( liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them.
It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical and ...
*
Fluid dynamics
In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids— liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) an ...
*
Reynolds number
*
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between ...
Notes
References
*
*
* Article describing discovery of K-H waves in deep ocean:
External links
*
Giant Tsunami-Shaped Clouds Roll Across Alabama Sky- Natalie Wolchover,
Livescience
Live Science is a science news website run by Future via Purch, which it purchased from Imaginova in 2009. Stories and editorial commentary are typically syndicated to major news outlets, such as Yahoo!, MSNBC, AOL, and Fox News.{{fact, date=Marc ...
via Yahoo.com
Tsunami Cloud Hits Florida CoastlineVortex formation in free jet- YouTube video showing Kelvin Helmholtz waves on the edge of a free jet visualised in a scientific experiment.
Wave clouds over Christchurch CityKelvin-Helmholtz clouds, in Barmouth, Gwynedd, on 18 February 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelvin-Helmholtz instability
Fluid dynamics
Boundary layer meteorology
Clouds
Fluid dynamic instabilities
Articles containing video clips
Hermann von Helmholtz
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin
Plasma instabilities