Abstract
Results of an investigation of the linear instability of a family of inviscid, 2D, variable-density shear layers and wakes are presented. Vorticity profiles corresponding to a monotonically increasing velocity profile are examined. A larger family of initial vorticity distributions which model the merge of two unequal vorticity layers of opposite sign is considered. The latter is obtained by superimposing on the former a wake component, characterized by a spread and a velocity deficit. The initial density distribution resembles a temperature spike and is described by a thickness and a temperature ratio. The stability properties of the layers are interpreted in terms of a 4D parameter space. TEM is used to illustrate the nonlinear evolution of the flow field. (AIAA)