Sonoluminescence as Quantum Vacuum Radiation

Abstract

Sonoluminescence is the phenomenon of light emission by sound-driven gas bubbles in fluids. Ultra-sound makes bubbles collapse and rebound, and a flash of light shorter than 10ps is observed after each collapse. The emitted spectrum resembles the tail of a black-body spectrum of several tens of thousand Kelvin. So far no theory has been found that convincingly explains the radiation process.