Macroscopic ESWL-induced cavitation: in vitro studies

Abstract

The rarefaction shock wave results in a liquid failure at the target/fluid interface. In the wake of the reflected ESWL-induced shock wave, a macroscopic cavity is generated in filtered water. The cavity implosion induces a large shock wave, divulging the bubble existence and lifetime. The existence of this shock wave is revealed by the diffraction of a HeNe laser beam. The induced cavitation bubbles are registered by a camera, illuminated by an externally triggered stroboscope (exposure time 10 μs). The radius of the large cavity bubble, generated at the stone surface, is time dependent as theoretically predicted.