Sonoluminescence: the star in a jar

Abstract

The acoustics lab at the University of California in Los Angeles has seen a dramatic change in the past eight years. The transducers, microphones and amplifiers that are normally used for studying sound have now been joined by spectrometers, femtosecond lasers, the fastest oscilloscopes and photomultiplier tubes, as well as the most accurate time-interval meters. Equally important, but of a lesser technology, there is also equipment to purify water, and manifolds to prepare and control the gas content of fluids.