The collapse and rebound of laser-induced cavitation bubble in viscous fluid

Abstract

The oscillation property of a laser-induced cavitation bubble in a viscous fluid is investigated by a sensitive fiber-optic sensor based on optical beam deflection. The temporal and spatial evolutions of the bubble wall during the expansion and collapse are traced according to sequential waveforms induced by the bubble oscillation. Both the maximum and minimum bubble radii at each oscillation cycle are determined by experiment. Further, in combination with the theoretical analysis and numerical calculation, the variation of the maximum and minimum radii during oscillation and life-time of the bubble in different viscous fluids is obtained. The experimental results indicate that the liquid viscosity has an obvious influence on the bubble oscillation; larger viscosity makes the bubble contract more slowly, and the corresponding minimum radius and the bubble life-time become larger and longer, while the maximum radius is smaller.