Description
The Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instability plays a crucial role in the dynamics of many astrophysical systems, particularly during the evolution of core-collapse supernovae. In such environments, intense neutrino fluxes cannot be neglected, as they are the primary carriers of energy and momentum. In this work, we investigate the influence of neutrino beams on hydrodynamic Rayleigh–Taylor instability and internal wave dynamics using a fluid description. We show that the interaction of highly energetic, weakly interacting neutrinos with a gravitating electron–ion plasma can trigger RT instability during the core-collapse phase. The presence of a neutrino beam embedded in an accelerating plasma modifies both the internal wave spectrum and the onset criterion for linear R-T instability.
The coupling between the neutrino fluid and the magnetized plasma is analyzed within the framework of a neutrino magnetohydrodynamic (NMHD) model. Dispersion relations derived from the coupled neutrino–plasma fluid equations are used to quantify the effects of neutrino beams on internal waves and RT instability. It is observed that the R-T instability is modified by the effect of gravity, density stratification, compressibility and the neutrino plasma coupling.