U.S.-Argentina Cooperative Research: Catastrophic Instabilities in Square Wave Detonations

该奖项将支持麻省理工学院的Rodolfo Rosales教授与阿根廷布宜诺斯艾利斯大学的Pablo M. Jacovkis教授的一项研究合作。研究人员打算对方波爆轰的稳定性理论进行研究。自上世纪末以来，反应冲击波在气体可燃介质（爆震波）中的传播问题一直是研究人员感兴趣的问题。这种传播的第一个模型是在本世纪初提出的，但人们很快意识到这些模型过于简单，而且没有考虑到爆震波非常丰富的结构。自20世纪50年代初以来，研究人员一直试图通过研究飞机爆炸的稳定性来理解这一理论。特别是，方波模型允许进行线性化的稳定性分析，这种分析相对简单，但会导致相互矛盾的结果和“灾难性的不稳定性”。研究人员打算通过数值研究和分析研究相结合的方法，来调查这个模型如此令人难以置信的稳定性的原因。该项目将结合罗萨莱斯教授在分析技术方面的经验和雅各布基斯教授的计算背景。

This award will support Professor Rodolfo Rosales of MIT in a research collaboration with Professor Pablo M. Jacovkis of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The researchers intend to carry out research in the stability theory of square wave detonations. The problem of propagation of reacting shocks in a gaseous combustible media (detonation waves) has interested researchers since the end of the last century. The first models for such propagation were proposed at the beginning of the century but it was soon realized that they were too simple and did not take into account the very rich structure of detonation waves. Since the early 1950's researchers have attempted to understand the theory by investigating the stability of plane detonations. In particular, the Square Wave Model allows for a linearized stability analysis that is relatively simple but leads to contradictory results and "catastrophic instabilities". The researchers intend, through a combination of numerical and analytical studies, to investigate the reasons for such badly believed stability for this model. The project will combine the experience of Prof. Rosales in analytical techniques with the computational background of Prof. Jacovkis.