A Z-pinch-based generator of focused rarefaction waves in liquid

Abstract

The excitation of impulse acoustic waves in a liquid upon the deformation of a cable under the action of pondermotive forces is described. It is shown that rarefaction and compression waves of microsecond duration can be focused with the use of a ring transducer manufactured from a coaxial cable. Acoustic pulses, in which a rarefaction wave preceded a compression wave, were excited upon the passage of a current pulse through the cable shield. When the current was passed through the central conductor, a compression wave preceded a rarefaction wave. High-speed photography revealed the presence of cavitation bubbles at the focus of the radiator. This work shows the possibility of studying the dynamics of bubbles at the stage of their expansion from cavitation nuclei in a rarefaction wave and the dynamics of such processes as aspherical collapse, the formation of a cumulative jet, and bubble fragmentation in a compression wave.