ASA 125th Meeting Ottawa 1993 May

4aPA8. Experiments and analysis of shape oscillations of bubbles levitated in water on the Earth.

Thomas J. Asaki

Philip L. Marston

Phys. Dept., Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA 99164-2814

Levitation and excitation of shape oscillations for bubbles in water were demonstrated for the size range 1.6 to 12-mm diameter [T. J. Asaki, P. L. Marston, and E. H. Trinh, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 93, 706--713 (1993)]. Novel methods of experimentation and analysis in the current research should complement experiments carried out in microgravity. Current research concerns the understanding of equilibriuim shape effects on steady-state and freely decaying shape oscillations. These oscillations were studied with an optical extinction method. The measurements probe the surface rheology of the bubble. The experimental method has been shown to be applicable to saline solution as well as to degassed but otherwise untreated sea water. [Research supported by ONR and DOE GAANN fellowship.]