Exact self-similar solutions of gas dynamics equations with nonlinear heat conduction for semi-infinite slabs of perfect gases are used for studying the stability of ablative flows in inertial confinement fusion. Both the similarity solutions and their linear perturbations are numerically computed with a dynamical multidomain Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method. Laserimprint results, showing that maximum amplification occurs for a laser-intensity modulation of zero transverse wavenumber have thus

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... een obtained [1]. Here we pursue this approach by proceeding to an analysis of perturbations in terms of Kovásznay modes [2]. We have derived the exact propagation equation for the acoustic mode and the exact evolution equations for the entropy and vorticity modes.