Enhanced acoustic cavitation following laser-induced bubble formation: Long-term memory effect

The enhancement of acoustic caviation at a liquid-solid interface following laser-induced bubble formation is studied. The experiment results indicate that metastable ultramicroscopic bubbles formed on the solid surface cause a long-term ''memory effect'' on acoustic cavitation. By performing a double-pulse experiment using two excimer lasers, the temporal decay of this memory effect is determined for two different liquids on a chromium surface. An explanation of the observed decay mode by a diffusion model is presented. © 1994 The American Physical Society.