Influence of initial conditions on the flow patterns of a shock-accelerated thin fluid layer

Previous observations of three flow patterns generated by shock acceleration of a thin perturbed, fluid layer are now correlated with asymmetries in the initial conditions. Using a different diagnostic (planar laser Rayleigh scattering) than the previous experiments, upstream mushrooms, downstream mushrooms, and sinuous patterns are still observed. For each experiment the initial perturbation amplitude on one side of the layer can either be larger, smaller, or the same as the amplitude on the other side, as observed with two images per experiment, and these differences lead to the formation of the different patterns.