Dynamics of impacting a bubble by another pulsed-laser-induced bubble: jetting, fragmentation, and entanglement

Acoustic cavitation-induced shear: a mini-review

Acoustic cavitation (or the formation of bubbles using acoustic or ultrasound-based devices) has been extensively exploited for biological applications in the form of bioprocessing and drug delivery/uptake. However, the governing parameters behind the several physical effects induced by cavitation are generally lacking in quantity in terms of suitable operating parameters of ultrasonic units. This review elaborates the current gaps in this realm and summarizes suitable investigative tools to explore the shear generated during cavitation. The underlying physics behind these events are also discussed. Furthermore, current advances of acoustic shear on biological specimens as well as future prospects of this cavitation-induced shear are also described.

Dynamics of tandem bubble interaction in a microfluidic channel

The dynamics of tandem bubble interaction in a microfluidic channel (800  ×  21 μm, W × H) have been investigated using high-speed photography, with resultant fluid motion characterized by particle imaging velocimetry. A single or tandem bubble is produced reliably via laser absorption by micron-sized gold dots (6 μm in diameter with 40 μm in separation distance) coated on a glass surface of the microfluidic channel. Using two pulsed Nd:YAG lasers at λ = 1064 nm and ∼10 μJ/pulse, the dynamics of tandem bubble interaction (individual maximum bubble diameter of 50 μm with a corresponding collapse time of 5.7 μs) are examined at different phase delays. In close proximity (i.e., interbubble distance = 40 μm or γ = 0.8), the tandem bubbles interact strongly with each other, leading to asymmetric deformation of the bubble walls and jet formation, as well as the production of two pairs of vortices in the surrounding fluid rotating in opposite directions. The direction and speed of the jet (up to 95 m/s), as well as the orientation and strength of the vortices can be varied by adjusting the phase delay.

Bubble-bubble interaction: a potential source of cavitation noise

The interaction between microbubbles through pressure pulses has been studied to show that it can be a source of cavitation noise. A recent report demonstrated that the acoustic noise generated by a shrimp originates from the collapse of a cavitation bubble produced when the shrimp closes its snapper claw. The recorded acoustic signal contains a broadband noise that consists of positive and negative pulses, but a theoretical model for single bubbles fails to reproduce the negative ones. Using a nonlinear multibubble model, we have shown here that the negative pulses can be explained by considering the interaction of microbubbles formed after the cavitation bubble has collapsed and fragmented: Positive pulses produced at the collapse of the microbubbles hit and impulsively compress neighboring microbubbles to generate reflected pulses whose amplitudes are negative. Discussing the details of the noise generation process, we have found that no negative pulses are generated if the internal pressure of the reflecting bubble is very high when hit by a positive pulse.