Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Fabrication of Silica Ultra High Quality Factor Microresonators
Published on: July 2, 2012
Transient cavitation in high-quality-factor resonators at high static pressures
D Felipe Gaitan1, Ross A Tessien, Robert A Hiller
1Impulse Devices, Inc, 13366 Grass Valley Avenue, Unit H, Grass Valley, California 95945, USA. gaitan@impulsedevices.com
High-pressure acoustic cavitation generates intense light flashes and shock waves. This study explores inertial transient cavitation in a novel resonator, revealing brighter sonoluminescence and stronger shock waves than previously observed.
Area of Science:
- Acoustics
- Fluid Dynamics
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Cavitation collapse concentrates mechanical energy, causing erosion and light emission (sonoluminescence, SL).
- Single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) involves repetitive light flashes from stable cavitation bubbles.
- Previous studies typically used low ambient pressures (around 0.1 MPa).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate acoustic cavitation at high ambient pressures.
- To characterize the phenomenon of inertial transient cavitation.
- To explore the relationship between static pressure and cavitation intensity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a high-quality factor, spherical resonator.
- Achieved acoustic cavitation at ambient pressures exceeding 30 MPa.
- Measured light emissions and shock wave amplitudes.
Main Results:
- Observed inertial transient cavitation events lasting milliseconds.
- Generated light flashes up to 1000 times brighter than SBSL.
- Detected spherical shock waves with amplitudes over 30 MPa.
- Found that both SL and shock amplitudes increase with static pressure.
Conclusions:
- High-pressure cavitation produces significantly more intense SL and shock waves.
- Inertial transient cavitation is a distinct phenomenon from SBSL.
- The developed resonator enables new investigations into high-pressure cavitation dynamics.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Standing Waves in a Cavity
Characteristics of Series Resonant Circuit
Sound Waves: Resonance
Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble
Sound as Pressure Waves
The pressure fluctuation depends on the difference in displacements between the successive points in the...
