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Effect of magnetic field on temporal development of Rayleigh-Taylor instability induced interfacial nonlinear structure

The effect of magnetic field on the nonlinear growth rate of Rayleigh-Taylor instability induced two fluid interfacial structures has been investigated. The magnetic field is assumed to be parallel to the plane of the two fluid interface and acts in a direction perpendicular to the wave vector. If magnetic field is restricted only to either side of the interface the growth rate may be depressed (may almost disappear) or be enhanced depending on whether the magnetic pressure on the interface opposes the instability driving pressure difference g(ρh - ρl)y or acts in the same direction. If magnetic field is present on both sides of the two fluid interface, stabilization may also take place in the sense that the surface of separation undulates periodically when the force due to magnetic pressure on two sides are such as to act in opposite direction. This result differs from the classical linear theory result which predicts that the magnetic field parallel to the surface has no influence on the growth rate when the wave vector is perpendicular to its direction.