Experimental investigation of laser-induced bubble dynamics near elastic/soft material in distilled water

Abstract

This study deals with an experimental investigation of the dynamics of laser-induced single bubble near the rigid material plate and near the elastic/soft material plate in the distilled water at room temperature under atmospheric pressure. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser was focused into the distilled water to make plasma and single bubble. The bubble repeated expanding and shrinking motion several times, and then collapsed. This behavior occurred on the sub-millisecond timescale. The solid wall near the bubble makes an asymmetric flow field. Many experiments on the behavior of laser-induced bubble near the rigid material have been reported. The bubble near the solid wall moves toward the rigid wall during its shrinking and rebounding process. The behavior of laser-induced bubble near the soft material, however, has not been well clarified. The soft material such as body tissue can deform and influence the behavior of the laser-induced bubble. Since the high peak power laser has been applied in the field of bioengineering and medical treatment, it is of great importance to clarify the effect of the soft material near the laser-induced cavitation bubble. In this research the behavior of laser-induced bubble near the elastic/soft material was visualized with schlieren method and investigated.