Saturation of Vortex Rings Ejected from Shock-Accelerated Interfaces.

Structures evoking vortex rings can be discerned in shock-accelerated flows ranging from astrophysics to inertial confinement fusion. By constructing an analogy between vortex rings produced in conventional propulsion systems and rings generated by a shock impinging upon a high-aspect-ratio protrusion along a material interface, we extend classical, constant-density vortex-ring theory to compressible multifluid flows. We further demonstrate saturation of such vortex rings as the protrusion aspect ratio is increased, thus explaining morphological differences observed in practice.