Investigation of the transient dynamics of cavitation bubble produced during pulsed laser ablation of a solid immersed in liquid by shadowgraphic imaging

Abstract

Shadowgraphic imaging technique is used to study the dynamics of cavitation bubbles produced during the pulsed laser ablation of a silver target in water. Ablation of a solid target immersed in liquid with a pulsed laser beam is a popular technique for the synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles. To understand the highly complex mechanism involved in nanoparticle formation, estimation of the thermodynamical parameters within the bubble, where the nucleation of the nanoparticles occur, is extremely important. The dynamics of the bubble studied using a fast gated CCD camera reveal that the bubble expands initially and then reaches its maximum size after which it starts compressing. The range of temperature and pressure values within the bubble is analytically assessed using two known models, the Rayleigh-Plesset and the van der Waals model.