The collapse and rebound of gas–vapor cavity on metal surface

The oscillation property of a gas–vapor cavity near a solid boundary is investigated by a sensitive fiber-optic sensor based on optical beam deflection principle when a high-intensity laser pulse is focused on an aluminum surface in water. The temporal and spatial evolutions of the bubble wall during the expansion and collapse are traced according to sequence waveforms induced by the bubble motion. Both the maximum and minimum bubble radii at each oscillating cycle are determined by experiment. Further, in combination with the spherical bubble theory, the variation of the gas content remaining in the cavity during each pulsation is estimated by the method of fitting curve. The results show that about half of the gas content is dissolved into the surrounding water during the whole process. The less gas content in the cavity makes the bubble contract more violently. The corresponding minimum radius and the collapsing duration become smaller and shorter.