Single-bubble dynamics in liquid nitrogen

Abstract

Computer simulations of bubble oscillations induced by an ultrasonic wave in liquid nitrogen are performed, including the effect of evaporation and condensation of nitrogen vapor at the bubble wall, that of droplets formation inside the bubble, and that of thermal conduction both inside and outside the bubble. Baghdassarian, Cho, Varoquaux, and Williams [J. Low. Temp. Phys. 110, 305 (1998)] monitored the oscillations of a helium bubble in liquid nitrogen by scattering an argon-ion laser beam from the bubble and observed anomalous behavior of the intensity of the scattered light as a function of time. The results of the computer simulations in the present study indicate that the anomalous behavior observed is due to the light scattering from fine droplets created inside the bubble. It is also clarified that the bubble collapse under a condition of stable oscillations in liquid nitrogen is much milder than that in water at room temperature due to the much larger saturated vapor pressure of liquid nitrogen. As the result, the maximum temperature attained in the bubble in liquid nitrogen is much lower than that required for single-bubble sonoluminescence.