The RichtmyerMeshkov instability (RMI) is a hydrodynamic instability resulting from an
impulsive acceleration of a density gradient. This instability was first described in the
theoretical work of Richtmyer [2], and later in the experimental work of Meshkov [3]. The
two primary ingredients for the RMI are an impulsive acceleration which takes the form of
an instantaneous pressure gradient, and a fluid interface which generates a density gradient
that is misaligned with the pressure gradient. To further our investigation of the RMI an
initial condition experiment needed to be conducted. At the Texas A&M Shock Tube and
Advanced Mixing Lab (STAML) there is a Mach 3 capable shock tube, used to study the
RMI. It was necessary to study the initial conditions of the interface to understand its effects
on the development of the RMI at post-shocked times. From this we were able to determine
characteristic flow qualities present on the interface prior to the shock. Within the initial
conditions investigation was a qualitative study conducted to determine the vorticity of the
interface. The vorticity study was to show how much energy the shock wave deposits, and aid
in development of a controlled perturbation of the interface. In the case of the qualitative
vorticity study, little was learned due to problems encountered involving Particle Image
Velocimetry (PIV) imaging. However, a method for controlled perturbation techniques was
discovered involving the flow characteristics at the interface
