@article{Strucka:2026:10.1103/3wgy-sgkz,
author = {Strucka, J and Sterbentz, DM and Lukic, B and Mughal, K and Yao, Y and Marrow, K and Schill, WJ and Jekel, CF and White, DA and Asmedianov, N and Grikshtas, R and Belozerov, O and Efimov, S and Skidmore, J and Rack, A and Krasik, YE and Belof, JL and Chittenden, JP and Bland, SN},
doi = {10.1103/3wgy-sgkz},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
title = {Passive freeze-out of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/3wgy-sgkz},
volume = {136},
year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
AB  - <jats:p>The Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) poses a major challenge in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) due to its role in mixing and performance degradation. We report the first experimental observation of passive freeze-out of RMI in a low-pressure surrogate regime, an instability stagnation effect induced without modifying the driving pressure pulse or the target surface geometry. Using additively manufactured subsurface voids in a sinusoidal target, we convert a single shock into a sequence of weaker shocks that suppress instability growth upstream of the surface by over 70%. High-speed x-ray imaging and hydrodynamic simulations suggest that this suppression arises primarily from temporal shaping, with lesser contributions from spatial curvature and shock weakening. Our results demonstrate a driver-independent pathway for controlling shock-driven hydrodynamic instabilities relevant to ICF and other high energy density systems.</jats:p>
AU  - Strucka,J
AU  - Sterbentz,DM
AU  - Lukic,B
AU  - Mughal,K
AU  - Yao,Y
AU  - Marrow,K
AU  - Schill,WJ
AU  - Jekel,CF
AU  - White,DA
AU  - Asmedianov,N
AU  - Grikshtas,R
AU  - Belozerov,O
AU  - Efimov,S
AU  - Skidmore,J
AU  - Rack,A
AU  - Krasik,YE
AU  - Belof,JL
AU  - Chittenden,JP
AU  - Bland,SN
DO  - 10.1103/3wgy-sgkz
PY  - 2026///
SN  - 0031-9007
TI  - Passive freeze-out of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability
T2  - Physical Review Letters
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/3wgy-sgkz
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1103/3wgy-sgkz
VL  - 136
ER  - 

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