Rayleigh–Taylor instability in an arbitrary direction electrostatic field

Based on the potential flow theory, we carry out the nonlinear analysis for the inviscid incompressible Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) in an arbitrary direction electrostatic field. The analytical expressions for the bubble amplitude and growth rate are presented. The effects of tangential and vertical electrostatic fields upon the bubble dynamics are opposite and depend on permittivity ratio. Agreements with recent simulations are found in the bubble amplitude. The direction of electrostatic field determines which (tangential or vertical) component plays the main role. The stability of the interface depends on whether the tangential and vertical components of the electrostatic field exceed the cut-off electrostatic field which is dependent of the permittivity ratio and the Atwood number. The results of this work demonstrate the importance of the direction of electrostatic field when considering the impact of electrostatic field on RTI.