This chapter is devoted to the analysis of the interaction of an initially isotropic turbulence with a normal plane shock wave. Even though this case is very simple from a geometrical viewpoint, it will be seen that it involves most physical mechanisms observed in more complex configurations. It also makes it possible to carry out an extensive theoretical analysis, leading to a deep understanding of the underlying physics.

Brief Survey of Existing Interaction Regimes

Several interaction regimes exist, which can be grouped into two families. The first one, referred to as the destructive interaction family, encompasses all configurations in which the structure of the shock wave is deeply modified during the interaction in the sense that a single well-defined shock wave can no longer be identified, the limiting case being the shock destruction. The second family, i.e., the nondestructive interaction family, is made up of all cases in which the structure of the shock wave is preserved during the interaction. It is important to note that, in the latter case, the shock wave can be strongly corrugated by the incoming turbulence.

Destructive Interactions

The first case of destructive interactions is that of unstable shocks, in which any small disturbances will lead to the destruction of the shock wave because of instability mechanisms.