Underwater holmium-laser-pulse-induced complete cavitation bubble movements and acoustic transients

The complete evolution of holmium-laser-pulse-induced cavitation bubble movements and acoustic transients underwater are investigated experimentally. The laser was single fiber-guided and had a 300 mJ pulse energy and 300 μs pulse duration (full width at half-maximum). In our experiments, more than four oscillations and four acoustic transients were demonstrated. 272 μs after laser onset, the cavitation bubbles reached their maximum transverse and longitudinal lengths of 2046 and 1914 μm, respectively. The maximum transverse and longitudinal bubble wall velocities were 28.9 and 39.2 m/s at 560 and 528 μs after laser onset, respectively. This investigation will be helpful to make good use of cavitation effect in medical applications of holmium laser pulses.