ON SONOLUMINESCENCE OF AN OSCILLATING GAS BUBBLE

It is proposed that shock dynamics within the gas of a small bubble explains sonoluminescence-the emission of visible radiation in response to spherically symmetric, ultrasonic excitation of a gas bubble in a liquid. As the bubble radius oscillates, shock waves develop from spherical sound waves created inside the gas bubble. As any such shock propagates toward the center, it strengthens and, upon convergence and subsequent reflection, dramatically increases the temperature of the gas behind it. Sufficiently high temperatures are predicted to explain the emission of light by the gas molecules.