Pressure waves and bubble generation in non-polar liquids initiated by a high divergent electric field

This paper describes experimental studies on: (i) acoustic transients emitted after current pulse and cavitation bubble collapse with special emphasis on the chronology of events and, (ii) the influence of fluid viscosity on bubble dynamics. Several interesting results are obtained: the relative amplitude of the acoustic transient is proportional to W_i^1/2 where W_i is the injected energy and, the relative amplitude of the shock wave is independent from the applied pressure. Our experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical models. For small bubbles in viscous fluids, bubble lifetime is much higher than the Rayleigh time and rebounds of the bubble are practically undetectable