Boosting Sonoluminescence with a High-Intensity Ultrasonic Pulse Focused on the Bubble by an Adaptive Array

Jean-Louis Thomas (1) , Yoel Forterre (2, 1) , Mathias Fink (1)

1 LOA - Laboratoire Ondes et Acoustique (UMR 7587)
2 IUSTI - Institut universitaire des systèmes thermiques industriels

Single-bubble sonoluminescence is characterized by a great concentration of energy during the collapse of a gas bubble, which leads to the generation of photons from low-frequency ultrasound. The narrow stability domain of sonoluminescence has limited previous attempts to reinforce this inertial confinement in order to generate photons of higher energy or to ignite a nuclear fusion reaction. We present a new experimental approach where an ultrasonic pulse of high frequency is adaptively focused on the bubble during the collapse. Using an array of eight transmitters, a pressure pulse of 0.7 MPa doubles the flash intensity; this technique can easily be extended to higher pressure.

Domaines: Physique [physics]; Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

Jean-Louis Thomas, Yoel Forterre, Mathias Fink. Boosting Sonoluminescence with a High-Intensity Ultrasonic Pulse Focused on the Bubble by an Adaptive Array. Physical Review Letters, 2002, 88, ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.074302⟩. ⟨hal-01432223⟩