Sonoluminescence


SONOLUMINESCENCE

Sonoluminescence: the phenomenon of production of light from sound; to be said the simplest.
The interesting matter is that, we don’t know how! Science is searching for explanations.
Okay, so let’s talk about sonoluminescence.

SOME PHILOSOPHY

Some hold that everything we discover these days, from the past many centuries, are but re-discoveries only. The knowledge about everything had once been acquired; but it got lost. Personally, Echo Delta as well believes in it. And, all those are not really ‘lost’, but rather is now hidden in scriptures like Mahabharata, Holy Bible, Holy Qur’an, Torah etc. So, why am I talking about this now? Genesis 1.3 of the Old Testament, Holy Bible, goes as follows:

‘Then God commanded, “Let there be light”- and light appeared.’

This command is the first command of God. And, when light was ‘created’, what He saw was water.

This might imply sonoluminescence. Yes, I mean it. God produces a sound, that sound creates light: sonoluminescence!

⚆MECHANISM

Sonoluminescence could happen in a liquid. If a sound of suitable frequency is passed through, it creates a small bubble or a cavity in the liquid - a process called cavitation, and then this bubbles collapses resulting a flash of light with a very small lifetime of only picoseconds.

♝CAVITATION

Cavitation is the phenomenon of forming cavities in a medium. When there’s high pressure differences in a liquid medium, a cavity will be created, whose inner space will be of low pressure. When a cavity implodes, shock waves are created.


⚆
In sonoluminescence, short light pulses originate at the geometric centre of the spherical cavity formed. It is noted that the temperature at the time of emission rises too high, even to a temperature enough to melt steel; upto about 20,000 K in the bubble’s centre. This very high temperature is of very high interest for scientists. If properly harnessed, we could make energy by it, which will be of very low expense and input. The 20,000 K mentioned is a peak value, that too only at the centre of the cavity. The average temperature of the bubble is said to never exceed 10,000 K.


We see that the light emission and bubble collapse happen simultaneously. And, though shock waves are created, surface waves are absent.

Knowing that such a high temperature is created inside the bubble, you might think if the contents of the cavity would evaporate or what. Comparing many prominent theories and their equations, we get four conclusions in common.

  1. The cavity remains spherical in shape.
  2. The bubble contents obey the ideal gas law.
  3. The pressure inside the bubble is uniform throughout it.
  4. Inside the bubble, there is no evaporation and condensation.

The fourth point quenches your doubt :)

The intention of this post is just to make your aware of this interesting phenomenon and talk about its basics. Going any deeper, we have to deal with the competing theories.


So, what do you think the explanation be for this phenomenon? Or, you got any doubts? Feel free to comment. Share the interesting matter and show your love to your friends and peers.




~ Echo Delta

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