Translational dynamics of individual microbubbles with millisecond scale ultrasound pulses

It is established that radiation forces can be used to transport ultrasound contrast agents, particularly for molecular imaging applications. However, the ability to model and control this process in the context of therapeutic ultrasound is limited by a paucity of data on the translational dynamics of encapsulated microbubbles under the influence of longer pulses. In this work, the translation of individual microbubbles, isolated with optical tweezers, was experimentally investigated over a range of diameters (1.8-8.8 μm, n = 187) and pressures (25, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kPa) with millisecond pulses. Data were compared with theoretical predictions of the translational dynamics, assessing the role of shell and history force effects. A pronounced feature of the displacement curves was an effective threshold size, below which there was only minimal translation. At higher pressures (≥150 kPa) a noticeable structure emerged where multiple local maxima occurred as a function of bubble size. The ability to accurately capture these salient features depended on the encapsulation model employed. In low Reynolds number conditions (i.e., low pressures, or high pressures, off-resonance) the inclusion of history force more accurately fit the data. After pulse cessation, bubbles exhibited substantial displacements consistent with the influence of history effects.