Cavitation mapping by sonochemiluminescence with less bubble displacement induced by acoustic radiation force in a 1.2 MHz HIFU

• We built up an ARF counterbalanced appliance.
• The outline of acoustic pressure distribution didnot change a lot.
• Cavitation distribution was much closer to the situation in tissue.
• Bubble photos agreed well with SCL images.
• Two kinds of bubbles were captured, and the power threshold was indicated.

An acoustic radiation force counterbalanced appliance was employed to map the cavitation distribution in water. The appliance was made up of a focused ultrasound transducer and an aluminum alloy reflector with the exactly same shape. They were centrosymmetry around the focus of the source transducer. Spatial–temporal dynamics of cavitation bubble clouds in the 1.2 MHz ultrasonic field within this appliance were observed in water. And they were mapped by sonochemiluminescence (SCL) recordings and high-speed photography. There were significant differences in spatial distribution and temporal evolution between normal group and counterbalanced group. The reflector could avoid bubble directional displacement induced by acoustic radiation force under certain electric power (⩽50 W). As a result, the SCL intensity in the pre-focal region was larger than that of normal group. In event of high electric power (⩾70 W), most of the bubbles were moving in acoustic streaming. When electric power decreased, bubbles kept stable and showed stripe structure in SCL images. Both stationary bubbles and moving bubbles have been captured, and exhibited analytical potential with respect to bubbles in therapeutic ultrasound.