We present a Rayleigh–Taylor mixing rate simulation with an
acceleration rate falling within the range of experiments. The
simulation uses front tracking to prevent interfacial mass diffusion.
We present evidence to support the assertion that the lower
acceleration rate found in untracked simulations is caused, at least to
a large extent, by a reduced buoyancy force due to numerical
interfacial mass diffusion. Quantitative evidence includes results from
a time-dependent Atwood number analysis of the diffusive simulation,
which yields a renormalized mixing rate coefficient for the diffusive
simulation in agreement with experiment. We also present the study of
Richtmyer–Meshkov mixing in cylindrical geometry using the front
tracking method and compare it with the experimental results.