Nonlinear stability and instability in the Rayleigh-Taylor problem of stratified compressible MHD fluids (Q1755643)

The authors develop the stability criteria for the stratified compressible magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor problem in Lagrangian coordinates. It is shown that a unique solution with an algebraic decay exists, when a vertical component of the magnetic field is imposed. Instability occurs when the magnetic field is small and only horizontal. Compressibility plays a destabilizing effect countered by the pressure, which is stabilizing. When the authors consider the magnetic compressible viscoelastic Rayleigh-Taylor problem, they find that elasticity has a stabilizing effect stronger than the magnetic fields.