Laser-Induced Cavitation

Cavities (cavitation bubbles) are formed by focusing giant pulses of a ruby laser into liquids. Their dynamics is investigated by high-speed cinematography with picture repetition rates up to 900000 pictures per second. The radial motion of single spherical bubbles (decaying oscillations, collapse time) is compared with existing theoretical bubble models. Bubble collapse and jet formation due to shock waves, near presence of a solid boundary, the interaction of bubbles, and nonspherical bubbles are investigated.