Cavitation from short acoustic pulses

It has recently been predicted [H. G. Flynn, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 72, 1926–1932 (1982)] that short, microsecond bursts of ultrasound could produce transient cavitation. We wish to report an experimental verification of this prediction. Using chemiluminescence as a cavitation indicator, we have observed light emissions indicating cavitation at a threshold of approximately 2.0 MPa for a pulse width of 1.0 μs at a frequency of 1.0 MHz and a duty cycle of 1:10. A description of the apparatus and a report on our latest results will be given. [Supported in part by the NSF and the FDA.]