Experimental and numerical investigation of shock-induced distortion of a spherical gas inhomogeneity

Results are presented from a series of experiments and simulations, studying the interaction of a planar shock wave (2.0≤M≤5.0) with a discrete gas inhomogeneity. Experiments and computations confirm that the phenomenology of shock–bubble interactions is fundamentally altered by the changes in the Atwood number. In the case of a low Atwood number, the late time flow field is dominated by coherent vortical structures, whereas in the case of a high Atwood number, the shocked bubble is effectively reduced to a small core of compressed fluid, which trails behind a plume-like structure indicative of a well-developed mixing region.