Vibrational Rarefaction Waves Excited by Laser-Induced Bubble within Confined Cuvettes and Their Feedback on Cavitation Dynamics: Influence of Wall and Liquid

Abstract

In this work, within finite liquid spaces confined by elastic walls and the free surface, we investigated the influence of wall and liquid on laser bubble-excited vibrational rarefaction waves, via the dynamics of the laser-induced plasma-mediated bubble and its accompanying small secondary bubble clouds. We observed the modulation of the rebound maximum radius (Rmax2) relative to the first oscillation period (Tosc1) for the laser bubble and the periodic appearance of secondary bubble clouds, which were caused by extra rarefaction waves. We found an approximate constant modulation period of Rmax2 (Tosc1) and increased time intervals between the adjacent secondary bubble clouds with increasing liquid height in the same cuvette, while both of them were remarkably increased with increasing inner size of cuvettes within the same liquid height. This indicated that the cuvette geometry and liquid volume alter the key characteristics of the vibrational rarefaction waves. It was further confirmed that extra rarefaction waves within the liquid are excited by wall vibrations linked to laser bubble expansion and its induced liquid-mass oscillations. Our study provides a better understanding of the interactions of laser-induced cavitation with liquid and elastic walls in confined geometry, which is essential for intraluminal laser surgery.