A global spectral-Galerkin investigation of a Rayleigh–Taylor instability in plasma using an MHD–Boussinesq model

Abstract

This paper presents a new efficient algorithm based on the spectral-Galerkin numerical approximations complemented by a magnetohydrodynamics–Boussinesq model and a new solver for studying the development of a Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instability. We use the Shenfun computational framework in the Cartesian coordinates, which gives the spectral order and accuracy for the considered model based on the magnetohydrodynamics equations and the Boussinesq conjecture. The numerical simulations were conducted for each two- and three-dimensional case, both with and without an external static magnetic field. The validity of the numerical results was examined by comparing the calculated squared L2-norm of the density parameter with the linear stability analysis. We also examined the effects of a uniform tangential magnetic field on the onset and growth of an RT instability at different magnetic field strengths. The analysis of the effectiveness of the presented method suggests that it can be modified for further research on two-component plasma.