title: Three-dimensional singularities of a thin plasma slab.
abstract: The three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear development of the interchange-like (Rayleigh-Taylor) instability of a thin slab of plasma exhibits interesting features with respect to its two-dimensional (2D) limit investigated by Bulanov, Pegoraro, and Sakai [Phys. Rev. E 59, 2292 (1999)]. We show that, contrary to the 2D case, the 3D evolution equations remain nonlinear when Lagrangian variables are adopted. Explicit solutions are found by the use of a generalized hodograph transformation. Both compression and rarefaction singularities are formed. Local solutions in the neighborhood of the singular points have a generic 2D character.
authors.affiliation: Physics Department of the University of Pisa and INFM, Pisa 56100, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pegoraro
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Bulanov
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomassini