Kelvin–Helmholtz instability

E648721

fluid dynamical instability hydrodynamic instability plasma instability

Kelvin–Helmholtz instability is a fluid dynamical phenomenon in which velocity shear between layers of fluid (or plasma) with different densities leads to characteristic wave-like billows and turbulent mixing at their interface.

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All labels observed (1)

Label	Occurrences
Kelvin–Helmholtz instability canonical	2

Statements (51)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	fluid dynamical instability ⓘ hydrodynamic instability ⓘ plasma instability ⓘ
characterizedBy	growth of perturbations at a shear layer ⓘ rolling up of the shear layer into vortices ⓘ
describedBy	Navier–Stokes equations NERFINISHED ⓘ linear stability analysis ⓘ magnetohydrodynamics NERFINISHED ⓘ
field	astrophysics ⓘ atmospheric science ⓘ fluid dynamics ⓘ oceanography ⓘ plasma physics ⓘ
hasCause	density contrast between fluid layers ⓘ velocity shear between fluid layers ⓘ
hasConsequence	enhanced mixing of chemical species ⓘ enhanced mixing of heat ⓘ enhanced mixing of momentum ⓘ transition to turbulence ⓘ
hasParameter	Alfvén Mach number in magnetized flows ⓘ Mach number NERFINISHED ⓘ Reynolds number ⓘ Richardson number NERFINISHED ⓘ
hasType	compressible Kelvin–Helmholtz instability ⓘ incompressible Kelvin–Helmholtz instability ⓘ magnetized Kelvin–Helmholtz instability ⓘ stratified Kelvin–Helmholtz instability ⓘ
mathematicallyModeledBy	dispersion relation for shear layers ⓘ
namedAfter	Hermann von Helmholtz NERFINISHED ⓘ William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin NERFINISHED ⓘ
observedIn	accretion disks ⓘ astrophysical jets ⓘ cloud formations in the Earth’s atmosphere ⓘ ocean surface waves ⓘ planetary atmospheres ⓘ shear layers in rivers and estuaries ⓘ solar wind–magnetosphere boundary ⓘ tokamak edge plasmas ⓘ
occursAt	interface between two fluids ⓘ interface between two plasmas ⓘ
relatedTo	Rayleigh–Taylor instability NERFINISHED ⓘ shear flow turbulence ⓘ
requires	finite density contrast or compressibility effects ⓘ sufficient velocity difference across the interface ⓘ
resultsIn	turbulent mixing ⓘ vortex formation ⓘ wave-like billows ⓘ
stabilizedBy	magnetic tension ⓘ strong density stratification ⓘ surface tension ⓘ viscosity ⓘ

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Stratified Flows → includesConcept → Kelvin–Helmholtz instability ⓘ

Rayleigh–Taylor instability → relatedTo → Kelvin–Helmholtz instability ⓘ