Abstract
Rectified diffusion is a mechanism whereby a gas bubble, set into pulsation by a sound field, can grow in size because of an effective gating action by the bubble surface area. Bubbles that might otherwise dissolve can grow instead if the sound-pressure amplitude exceeds a threshold that depends on the bubble size. A theory of rectified diffusion is used to determine the threshold conditions for bubble growth and to calculate the rates of growth for conditions above threshold. Implications of the results are then examined with regard to the problems of the nucleation of gaseous cavitation and the shifting size distribution of a bubble population. Although calculated thresholds for growth have been found to agree with observed thresholds, calculated growth rates are often much lower than observed rates. Reasons for the partial failure of the theory are suggested, and recent attempts to improve the theory are indicated.
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