In single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) in addition to the short light pulses, the bubble emits in the collapse phase a pressure wave that can be measured with a fiber optic probe hydrophone with high spatial resolution (100 μm) and a rise time of 5 ns. In a systematic study we have characterized the width and the amplitude of the emitted pressure wave in dependence of the driving pressure, the gas concentration, and the water temperature. The width of the emitted acoustic wave increases with increasing gas concentration and increasing driving pressure from about 7 ns to more than 30 ns in the stability range, where SBSL can be observed. In contrast to the emitted light intensity, the water temperature has only little influence on the emitted acoustic wave. Theoretical considerations using the Gilmore equation show good agreement with the experimental data.

• Received 27 July 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.59.1777