Plasmon Mechanism of Sonoluminescence in Water

A new theoretical approach attacking the process of sonoluminescence in water is presented. It suggests that light is generated through the transformation of a two-dimensional plasmon formed on the surface of a collapsing cavitation bubble, which occurs due to the condensation of dipoles in saturated water vapor. According to this model, the key features of sonoluminescence are explained by the strong electromagnetic fields associated with the plasmon. The proposed model adequately reproduces the typical shape of the sonoluminescence spectrum. Its fine structure is attributed to the giant Raman scattering of plasmon radiation by impurity gas atoms in water solutions. Additionally, the model accounts for the experimentally observed relationship between light yield, temperature, and pressure.