Phase diagrams for sonoluminescing bubbles: A comparison between experiment and theory

Microbubble shape oscillations excited through ultrasonic parametric driving

An air bubble driven by ultrasound can become shape-unstable through a parametric instability. We report time-resolved optical observations of shape oscillations (mode n=2 to 6) of micron-sized single air bubbles. The observed mode number n was found to be linearly related to the ambient radius of the bubble. Above the critical driving pressure threshold for shape oscillations, which is minimal at the resonance of the volumetric radial mode, the observed mode number n is independent of the forcing pressure amplitude. The microbubble shape oscillations were also analyzed numerically by introducing a small nonspherical linear perturbation to a Rayleigh-Plesset-type equation, capturing the experimental observations in detail.

Influence of the accommodation coefficient on nonlinear bubble oscillations

This paper numerically investigates the effect of mass transfer processes on spherical single bubble dynamics using the Hertz-Langmuir-Knudsen approximation for the mass flux across the interface. Bubble behavior, with and without mass transfer, is studied for different values of pressure wave amplitude and frequency, as well as initial bubble radius. Whereas mass transfer processes do not seem to play a significant role on the bubble response for pressure amplitudes smaller than 0.9 atm, they appear to have an important effect when the amplitude is greater than or equal to 1 atm. For the later case, where the minimum liquid pressure reaches values around its vapor pressure, the importance of mass transfer depends on frequency. For frequencies in the 10(3)-10(5) Hz range and initial bubble radii of the order of tens of microns, bubble implosions with and with no mass transfer are significantly different; smaller radii display a lower sensitivity. In this regime, accurate model predictions must, therefore, carefully select the correct value of the accommodation coefficient. For frequencies greater than 10(5) Hz, as a first approximation mass transfer can be ignored.

Molecular emission and temperature measurements from single-bubble sonoluminescence

Single-bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) spectra in H2O show featureless continuum emission. From an acoustically driven, moving bubble in phosphoric acid (H3PO4), we observe very strong molecular emission from excited OH radicals (∼310  nm), which can be used as a spectroscopic thermometer by fitting the experimental SBSL spectra to the OH A 2Σ+ - X 2Π rovibronic transitions. The observed emission temperature (T(em)) ranges from 6200 to 9500 K as the acoustic pressure (P(a)) varies from 1.9 to 3.1 bar and from 6000 to >10,000  K as the dissolved monatomic gas varies over the series from He to Xe.

Physical facets of ultrasonic cavitational synthesis of zinc ferrite particles

This paper addresses the physical features of the ultrasonic cavitational synthesis of zinc ferrite particles and tries to establish the relationship between cavitation physics and sonochemistry of the zinc ferrite synthesis. A dual approach of coupling experimental results with simulations of radial motion of cavitation bubbles has been adopted. The precursors for the zinc ferrite, viz. ZnO and Fe(3)O(4) are produced in situ by the hydrolysis of Zn and Fe(II) acetates stimulated by (*)OH radicals produced from the transient collapse of the cavitation bubbles. Experiments performed under different conditions create significant variation in the production of (*)OH radicals, and hence, the rate of acetate hydrolysis. Correlation of the results of experiments and simulations sheds light on the important facets of the physical mechanism of ultrasonic cavitational zinc ferrite synthesis. It is revealed that too much or too little rate of acetate hydrolysis results in smaller particle size of zinc ferrite. The first effect of a higher rate of hydrolysis leads to excessively large growth of particles, due to which they become susceptible to the disruptive action of cavitation bubbles. Whereas, the second effect of too small rate of hydrolysis of Zn and Fe(II) acetates restricts the growth of particles. It has been observed that the initial reactant concentration does not influence the mean particle size or the size distribution of zinc ferrite particles. The present investigation clearly confirms that the rate-controlling step of zinc ferrite synthesis through ultrasonic cavitational route is the rate of formation of (*)OH radicals from cavitation bubbles.

Physical features of ultrasound-enhanced heterogeneous permanganate oxidation

This paper addresses the matter of mechanistic features of ultrasound-assisted permanganate oxidation of organic compounds in aqueous phase. This reaction system is essentially a liquid-liquid heterogeneous one, which is limited by the mass transfer characteristics. Previous research has established that ultrasound irradiation of reaction mixture enhances the kinetics and yield of permanganate oxidation. The principal physical effect of ultrasonic cavitation is formation of fine emulsion between immiscible phases that eliminates the mass transfer resistance, while principal chemical effect is production of radicals through transient collapse of cavitation bubbles, which accelerate the reaction. In this paper, we have tried to discriminate between these physical and chemical effects by coupling experiments with different conditions (which alter the nature of cavitation phenomena in the medium) to simulations of cavitation bubble dynamics. It is revealed that in absence of radical conserving agent, the enhancement effect is merely physical. Diffusion of radicals towards interface between phases, where the oxidation reaction occurs is the limiting factor in contribution of chemical effect of ultrasonic cavitation towards enhancement of oxidation. Enhancement of total radical production in the aqueous phase (by degassing of the medium) increases the overall oxidation yield, but only marginally. On the other hand, addition of a radical conserver such as FeSO(4).7H(2)O results in marked enhancement in oxidation yield, as the conserver assists deeper penetration of radicals in the aqueous medium and diffusion towards interface.

The dependence of the moving sonoluminescing bubble trajectory on the driving pressure

With a complete accounting of hydrodynamic forces on the translational-radial dynamics of a moving single-bubble sonoluminescence, temporal evolution of the bubble trajectory is investigated. In this paper, by using quasi-adiabatic evolution for the bubble interior, the bubble peak temperature at the bubble collapse is calculated. The peak temperature changes because of the bubble translational motion. The numerical results indicate that the strength of the bubble collapse is affected by its translational movement. At the bubble collapse, translational movement of the bubble is accelerated because of the increase in the added mass force on the bubble. It is shown that the magnitude of the added mass force rises by the increase in the amplitude of the driving pressure. Consequently, the increase in added mass force results in the longer trajectory path and duration.

Physical insights into the sonochemical degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants with cavitation bubble dynamics

This paper tries to discern the mechanistic features of sonochemical degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants using five model compounds, viz. phenol (Ph), chlorobenzene (CB), nitrobenzene (NB), p-nitrophenol (PNP) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). The sonochemical degradation of the pollutant can occur in three distinct pathways: hydroxylation by ()OH radicals produced from cavitation bubbles (either in the bubble-bulk interfacial region or in the bulk liquid medium), thermal decomposition in cavitation bubble and thermal decomposition at the bubble-liquid interfacial region. With the methodology of coupling experiments under different conditions (which alter the nature of the cavitation phenomena in the bulk liquid medium) with the simulations of radial motion of cavitation bubbles, we have tried to discern the relative contribution of each of the above pathway to overall degradation of the pollutant. Moreover, we have also tried to correlate the predominant degradation mechanism to the physico-chemical properties of the pollutant. The contribution of secondary factors such as probability of radical-pollutant interaction and extent of radical scavenging (or conservation) in the medium has also been identified. Simultaneous analysis of the trends in degradation with different experimental techniques and simulation results reveals interesting mechanistic features of sonochemical degradation of the model pollutants. The physical properties that determine the predominant degradation pathway are vapor pressure, solubility and hydrophobicity. Degradation of Ph occurs mainly by hydroxylation in bulk medium; degradation of CB occurs via thermal decomposition inside the bubble, degradation of PNP occurs via pyrolytic decomposition at bubble interface, while hydroxylation at bubble interface contributes to degradation of NB and 2,4-DCP.

Bubble-bubble interaction: a potential source of cavitation noise

The interaction between microbubbles through pressure pulses has been studied to show that it can be a source of cavitation noise. A recent report demonstrated that the acoustic noise generated by a shrimp originates from the collapse of a cavitation bubble produced when the shrimp closes its snapper claw. The recorded acoustic signal contains a broadband noise that consists of positive and negative pulses, but a theoretical model for single bubbles fails to reproduce the negative ones. Using a nonlinear multibubble model, we have shown here that the negative pulses can be explained by considering the interaction of microbubbles formed after the cavitation bubble has collapsed and fragmented: Positive pulses produced at the collapse of the microbubbles hit and impulsively compress neighboring microbubbles to generate reflected pulses whose amplitudes are negative. Discussing the details of the noise generation process, we have found that no negative pulses are generated if the internal pressure of the reflecting bubble is very high when hit by a positive pulse.

Chemical oscillations of air-seeded bubbles in water driven by ultrasound

Chemical oscillations are shown to be responsible for very low frequency modulations of a bubble oscillating nonlinearly in a high intensity ultrasound field. In the parameter space of incomplete dissociation near the onset of sonoluminescence a small bubble is shown to grow on a long time scale by the intake of dissolved air. Bubble collapses get hotter and more dense, noninert gases are dissociated and removed, and a small growing argon bubble is left behind continuing the circle.

Physical features of sonochemical degradation of nitroaromatic pollutants

This article attempts to discern the physical (or mechanistic) features of the sonochemical degradation of two major and ubiquitous nitroaromatic pollutants, viz. nitrobenzene and p-nitrophenol. The fundamental physical phenomenon behind sonochemical degradation of pollutants is radial motion of cavitation bubbles. This study implements a dual approach to the problem, i.e. results of the experiments under different conditions have been coupled to a mathematical model that addresses physics and chemistry of the cavitation bubbles. Various experimental techniques applied in this study influence important physical parameters related to cavitation phenomenon in the liquid medium such as extent of radical production from the bubble, thickness of the liquid shell surrounding the bubble that gets heated up during transient collapse, the concentration of the pollutant in the interfacial region and extent of radical scavenging in the medium. Concurrent analysis of the experimental and simulation results reveal that overall degradation of the pollutant achieved for a given combination of experimental conditions is a function of competing (and sometimes conflicting) effect of these parameters. A semi-quantitative account of the relative influence of these parameters and the interrelations between them is presented.

The range of ambient radius for an active bubble in sonoluminescence and sonochemical reactions

Numerical simulations of nonequilibrium chemical reactions inside an air bubble in liquid water irradiated by ultrasound have been performed for various ambient bubble radii. The intensity of sonoluminescence (SL) has also been calculated taking into account electron-atom bremsstrahlung, radiative attachment of electrons to neutral molecules, radiative recombination of electrons and ions, chemiluminescence of OH, molecular emission from nitrogen, etc. The lower bound of ambient radius for an active bubble in SL and sonochemical reactions nearly coincides with the Blake threshold for transient cavitation. The upper bound is in the same order of magnitude as that of the linear resonance radius. In actual experiments, however, the distribution of ambient radius for active bubbles may be narrow at around the threshold ambient radius for the shape instability. The threshold peak temperature inside an air bubble for nitrogen burning is higher than that for oxidant formation. The threshold peak temperatures depend on ultrasonic frequency and acoustic amplitude because chemical reactions inside a bubble are in nonequilibrium. The dominant emission mechanism in SL is electron-atom bremsstrahlung except at a lower bubble temperature than 2000 K, for which molecular emissions may be dominant.

Inside a collapsing bubble: sonoluminescence and the conditions during cavitation

Acoustic cavitation, the growth and rapid collapse of bubbles in a liquid irradiated with ultrasound, is a unique source of energy for driving chemical reactions with sound, a process known as sonochemistry. Another consequence of acoustic cavitation is the emission of light [sonoluminescence (SL)]. Spectroscopic analyses of SL from single bubbles as well as a cloud of bubbles have revealed line and band emission, as well as an underlying continuum arising from a plasma. Application of spectrometric methods of pyrometry as well as tools of plasma diagnostics to relative line intensities, profiles, and peak positions have allowed the determination of intracavity temperatures and pressures. These studies have shown that extraordinary conditions (temperatures up to 20,000 K; pressures of several thousand bar; and heating and cooling rates of >10(12) K s(1)) are generated within an otherwise cold liquid.

Stability of a sonoluminescing nitrogen bubble in chilled water

Bubbles are levitated in a resonator driven by an ultrasound wave. Their highly nonlinear oscillations feature a strong collapse, where fluidlike densities and temperatures of several thousand degrees Kelvin are reached, resulting in the emission of ultrashort light pulses. Previous experiments and theories explained the observed stable bubble dynamic and emission on long time scales with the requirement of a noble gas. Recent experiments reveal stable sonoluminescent emission of nitrogen bubbles in chilled water without the presence of a noble gas. Numerical calculations show that a diffusive and dissociative equilibrium can be reached when the temperature within a nitrogen bubble is limited due to the presence of water vapor. Calculated stability lines agree with published experimental results. The results show that noble-gas-free stable single bubble sonoluminescence of nitrogen bubbles is possible.

Relationship between the bubble temperature and main oxidant created inside an air bubble under ultrasound

Numerical simulations of nonequilibrium chemical reactions in a pulsating air bubble have been performed for various ultrasonic frequencies (20 kHz, 100 kHz, 300 kHz, and 1 MHz) and pressure amplitudes (up to 10 bars). The results of the numerical simulations have indicated that the main oxidant is OH radical inside a nearly vaporous or vaporous bubble which is defined as a bubble with higher molar fraction of water vapor than 0.5 at the end of the bubble collapse. Inside a gaseous bubble which is defined as a bubble with much lower vapor fraction than 0.5, the main oxidant is H2O2 when the bubble temperature at the end of the bubble collapse is in the range of 4000-6500 K and O atom when it is above 6500 K. From the interior of a gaseous bubble, an appreciable amount of OH radical also dissolves into the liquid. When the bubble temperature at the end of the bubble collapse is higher than 7000 K, oxidants are strongly consumed inside a bubble by oxidizing nitrogen and the main chemical products inside a bubble are HNO2, NO, and HNO3.

Composition and its evolution inside a sonoluminescing bubble by line spectra

The line emissions of OH*, Na, Na-Ar*, and Ar are observed in stable and bright single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL), which shows that the composition of the bubble consists of at least three parts: the vapor, droplets of the host liquid, and the gas dissolved in the host liquid. The observation of line emissions in SBSL demonstrates that it shares exactly the same spectra with multibubble sonoluminescences (MBSL). The experiments indicate that noble gas plays an important role in all line emissions of both SBSL and MBSL. The time resolved spectra of SBSL show that there is significant mass exchange between the inside and outside of the bubble. The time scale of the mass exchange ranges from less than 1/10 s to tens of seconds. The SBSL in sulfuric acid supports the argon rectification theory. Because stable SBSL in sulfuric acid can just be achieved within a narrow parameter range, only weak rectification is observed in our experiments.

Theoretical study of single-bubble sonochemistry

Numerical simulations of bubble oscillations in liquid water irradiated by an ultrasonic wave are performed under the experimental condition for single-bubble sonochemistry reported by Didenko and Suslick [Nature (London) 418, 394 (2002)]. The calculated number of OH radicals dissolving into the surrounding liquid from the interior of the bubble agrees sufficiently with the experimental data. OH radicals created inside a bubble at the end of the bubble collapse gradually dissolve into the surrounding liquid during the contraction phase of an ultrasonic wave although about 30% of the total amount of OH radicals that dissolve into the liquid in one acoustic cycle dissolve in 0.1 micros at around the end of the collapse. The calculated results have indicated that the oxidant produced by a bubble is not only OH radical but also O atom and H2O2. It is suggested that an appreciable amount of O atom is produced by bubbles inside a standing-wave-type sonochemical reactor filled with water in which oxygen is dissolved as in the case of air.

Single-bubble sonoluminescence in sulfuric acid and water: bubble dynamics, stability, and continuous spectra

We present theoretical calculations of an argon bubble in a liquid solution of 85%wt sulfuric acid and 15%wt water in single-bubble sonoluminescence. We used a model without free parameters to be adjusted. We predict from first principles the region in parameter space for stable bubble evolution, the temporal evolution of the bubble radius, the maximum temperature, pressures, and the light spectra due to thermal emissions. We also used a partial differential equation based model (hydrocode) to compute the temperature and pressure evolutions at the center of the bubble during maximum compression. We found the behavior of this liquid mixture to be very different from water in several aspects. Most of the models in sonoluminescence were compared with water experimental results.

Plasma Quenching by Air during Single-Bubble Sonoluminescence

We report the observation of sudden and dramatic changes in single-bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) intensity (i.e., radiant power, phi(SL)) and spectral profiles at a critical acoustic pressure (P(c)) for solutions of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) containing mixtures of air and noble gas. Nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen (N2), and atomic oxygen emission lines are visible just below P(c). At P(c), very bright (factor of 7000 increase in phi(SL)) and featureless SBSL is observed when Ar is present. In addition, Ar lines are observed from a dimmed bubble that has been driven above P(c). These observations suggest that bright SBSL from H2SO4 is due to a plasma, and that molecular components of air suppress the onset of bright light emission through quenching mechanisms and endothermic processes. Determination of temperatures from simulations of the emission lines shows that air limits the heating during single-bubble cavitation. When He is present, phi(SL) increases by only a factor of 4 at P(c), and the SBSL spectrum is not featureless as for Ar, but instead arises from sulfur oxide (SO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) bands. These differences are attributed to the high thermal conductivity and ionization potential of He compared to Ar.

Viscosity destabilizes sonoluminescing bubbles

In single-bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) microbubbles are trapped in a standing sound wave, typically in water or water-glycerol mixtures. However, in viscous liquids such as glycol, methylformamide, or sulphuric acid it is not possible to trap the bubble in a stable position. This is very peculiar as larger viscosity normally stabilizes the dynamics. Suslick and co-workers call this new mysterious state of SBSL "moving-SBSL." We identify the history force (a force nonlocal in time) as the origin of this destabilization and show that the instability is parametric. A force balance model quantitatively accounts for the observed quasiperiodic bubble trajectories.

Numerical and experimental study of dissociation in an air-water single-bubble sonoluminescence system

We performed a comprehensive numerical and experimental analysis of dissociation effects in an air bubble in water acoustically levitated in a spherical resonator. Our numerical approach is based on suitable models for the different effects considered. We compared model predictions with experimental results obtained in our laboratory in the whole phase parameter space, for acoustic pressures from the bubble dissolution limit up to bubble extinction. The effects were taken into account simultaneously to consider the transition from nonsonoluminescence to sonoluminescence bubbles. The model includes (1) inside the bubble, transient and spatially nonuniform heat transfer using a collocation points method, dissociation of O2 and N2, and mass diffusion of vapor in the noncondensable gases; (2) at the bubble interface, nonequilibrium evaporation and condensation of water and a temperature jump due to the accommodation coefficient; (3) in the liquid, transient and spatially nonuniform heat transfer using a collocation points method, and mass diffusion of the gas in the liquid. The model is completed with a Rayleigh-Plesset equation with liquid compressible terms and vapor mass transfer. We computed the boundary for the shape instability based on the temporal evolution of the computed radius. The model is valid for an arbitrary number of dissociable gases dissolved in the liquid. We also obtained absolute measurements for R(t) using two photodetectors and Mie scattering calculations. The robust technique used allows the estimation of experimental results of absolute R0 and P(a). The technique is based on identifying the bubble dissolution limit coincident with the parametric instability in (P(a),R0) parameter space. We take advantage of the fact that this point can be determined experimentally with high precision and replicability. We computed the equilibrium concentration of the different gaseous species and water vapor during collapse as a function of P(a) and R0. The model obtains from first principles the result that in sonoluminescence the bubble is practically 100% argon for air dissolved in water. Therefore, the dissociation reactions in air bubbles must be taken into account for quantitative computations of maximum temperatures. The agreement found between the numerical and experimental data is very good in the whole parameter space explored. We do not fit any parameter in the model. We believe that we capture all the relevant physics with the model.

Plasma line emission during single-bubble cavitation

Emission lines from transitions between high-energy states of noble-gas atoms (Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) and ions (Ar(+), Kr(+), and Xe(+)) formed and excited during single-bubble cavitation in sulfuric acid are reported. The excited states responsible for these emission lines range 8.3 eV (for Xe) to 37.1 eV (for Ar(+)) above the respective ground states. Observation of emission lines allows for identification of intracavity species responsible for light emission; the populated energy levels indicate the plasma generated during cavitation is comprised of highly energetic particles.

Plasma formation and temperature measurement during single-bubble cavitation

Single-bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) results from the extreme temperatures and pressures achieved during bubble compression; calculations have predicted the existence of a hot, optically opaque plasma core with consequent bremsstrahlung radiation. Recent controversial reports claim the observation of neutrons from deuterium-deuterium fusion during acoustic cavitation. However, there has been previously no strong experimental evidence for the existence of a plasma during single- or multi-bubble sonoluminescence. SBSL typically produces featureless emission spectra that reveal little about the intra-cavity physical conditions or chemical processes. Here we report observations of atomic (Ar) emission and extensive molecular (SO) and ionic (O2+) progressions in SBSL spectra from concentrated aqueous H2SO4 solutions. Both the Ar and SO emission permit spectroscopic temperature determinations, as accomplished for multi-bubble sonoluminescence with other emitters. The emissive excited states observed from both Ar and O2+ are inconsistent with any thermal process. The Ar excited states involved are extremely high in energy (>13 eV) and cannot be thermally populated at the measured Ar emission temperatures (4,000-15,000 K); the ionization energy of O2 is more than twice its bond dissociation energy, so O2+ likewise cannot be thermally produced. We therefore conclude that these emitting species must originate from collisions with high-energy electrons, ions or particles from a hot plasma core.

Unstable diffusion and chemical dissociation of a single sonoluminescing bubble

In a certain parameter region, a single sonoluminescencing bubble is unstable against diffusion of gases and their chemical dissociation. Experiments show that a surface unstable bubble emits a microbubble and recoils. After this it exhibits specific dynamical features whereby the ambient radius changes in a nonmonotonic way. A numerical analysis identifies the phenomenon as the result of the interplay between spatial translations and induced variations of driving pressure on one side and the chemical composition of gases in the bubble on the other side. The results confirm that dynamical chemical dissociation phenomena as well as acoustic properties play an important role in the understanding of single-bubble sonoluminescence.

Dependence of the characteristics of bubbles on types of sonochemical reactors

Computer simulations of bubble oscillations in liquid water irradiated by an ultrasonic wave have revealed that the characteristic of bubbles depends on types of sonochemical reactors: a horn-type reactor and a standing-wave type reactor. When the acoustic amplitude is large at 20 kHz, the bubble content is mostly water vapor even at the end of the bubble collapse and the temperature inside a bubble at the collapse is relatively low. On the other hand, when the acoustic amplitude is relatively low, the bubble content is mostly noncondensable gas at the end of the bubble collapse and the bubble temperature is relatively high. In a horn-type sonochemical reactor, the former type of bubbles are dominant because many bubbles exist near the horn-tip where the acoustic amplitude is large, while in a standing-wave type reactor the latter type of bubbles are dominant because the Bjerknes force gathers bubbles at a region where acoustic amplitude is relatively low.

Bubble dynamics near the onset of single-bubble sonoluminescence

A number of groups have reported measurements of the location in the parameter space of bubble size versus acoustic pressure amplitude of shape- and size-stable bubbles. For air/water systems, a general trend emerges: stable bubbles are found on one of two line paths in this space defined by their range of acoustic pressure. Bubbles on the higher-pressure path emit light. There have been few studies of the transition between these two paths. In this work we describe our observations of this transition regime. In this regime, a slow time scale oscillation (period 2-7 s) in the bubble size, position, and phase of flash timing can be observed. At lower dissolved gas concentrations, a hysteresis in the bubble size as a function of acoustic pressure is observed, complementing previous light intensity measurements reported in the literature.

Role of liquid compressional viscosity in the dynamics of a sonoluminescing bubble

The well-known Rayleigh-Plesset ( RP ) equation is the basis of almost all hydrodynamical descriptions of single-bubble sonoluminescence ( SBSL ). A major deficiency of the RP equation is that it accounts for viscosity of an incompressible liquid and compressibility, separately. By removing this approximation, a new modification of the RP equation is presented considering effect of compressional viscosity of the liquid. This modification leads to addition of a new viscous term to the traditional bubble boundary equation. Influence of this new term in the dynamics of a sonoluminescing bubble has numerically been studied considering effects of heat transfer at the bubble wall, nonequilibrium evaporation and condensation of water vapor, chemical reactions, and diffusion of the reactions products in the liquid. The results show that the new term has a significant damping role in the bubble motion at the end of collapse and during the rebounds, so that its consideration dramatically reduces amplitude of the afterbounces. Dependence of this new damping mechanism on the driving pressure amplitude and on the ambient radius has been investigated. The results indicate that the more intense the collapse, the more important the damping of the liquid compressional viscosity.

Optimum bubble temperature for the sonochemical production of oxidants

Numerical simulations of bubble oscillations in liquid water irradiated by an ultrasonic wave are performed for various acoustic amplitudes and various ambient pressures. In the numerical simulations, effect of non-equilibrium evaporation and condensation of water vapor at the bubble wall and that of chemical reactions of gases and vapor inside a bubble are taken into account. The oxidants such as OH radicals, O radicals, H(2)O(2) molecules, and O(3) molecules are created from water vapor inside a heated bubble when a bubble collapses strongly. They are dispersed into the liquid and solutes are oxidized by the oxidants, which is called sonochemical reactions. The computer simulations have revealed that there exists the optimum bubble temperature, which is about 5500 K, for the production of the oxidants inside an air bubble because at higher bubble temperature the oxidants are strongly consumed inside a bubble by oxidizing nitrogen. Correspondingly, there exists an optimum acoustic amplitude for the production of the oxidants, which is about 2.2 atm when the ultrasonic frequency is 140 kHz and the ambient pressure is 1 atm. For an oxygen bubble, on the other hand, the amount of the oxidants created inside a bubble becomes nearly independent of the bubble temperature at the collapse above about 6000 K because nitrogen is absent.

Single-bubble sonoluminescence in air-saturated water

Single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) is realized in air-saturated water at ambient pressure and room temperature. The behavior is similar to SBSL in degassed water, but with a higher spatial variability of the bubble position. A detailed view on the dynamics of the bubbles shows agreement between calculated shape stability borders but differs slightly in the equilibrium radii predicted by a mass diffusion model. A comparison with results in degassed water is done as well as a time resolved characterization of bubble oscillation, translation, and light emission for synchronous and recycling SBSL. The formation of streamer structures is observed in the same parameter range, when bubble nuclei are present. This may lead to a unified interpretation of SBSL and multibubble sonoluminescence.

Harmonic enhancement of single-bubble sonoluminescence

It is known from experiment that the light emission from a sonoluminescing bubble can be increased by using more than one driving frequency. In this paper, a systematic method to determine the optimal conditions of pressure amplitude and relative phase for this effect is described. As a specific application, a two-frequency system--26.5 kHz and 53 kHz--is considered. It is found that the maximum temperatures achievable can be appreciably increased with respect to single-frequency drive, still maintaining spherical stability, provided the dissolved inert gas concentration is kept extremely low in order to maintain diffusive stability.