Optical breakdown in a liquid: The slow phase of the dynamics of cavity collapse and a noncontact technique for pressure measurement in a liquid

It is demonstrated that, in the case, of optically probing the breakdown region, a pulsed signal is formed due to the acoustic pulses produced by the breakdown and collapse of the cavitation cavity. The measured dependence of the delay time of the second pulse on the hydrostatic pressure in the liquid and the pressure of saturated vapor agrees well with the theoretical dependence corresponding to the hydrodynamic model of the cavity. On the basis of the optical cavitation effect, a technique is proposed for a noncontact measurement of hydrostatic pressure in a liquid enclosed in a sealed cell. The range of applicability of the technique is evaluated. (c) 2005 Pleiades Publishing, Inc.