Investigation of the Influence of Different Liquid Temperatures on the Dynamics of Long-Pulse Laser-Induced Cavitation Bubbles

Long-Pulse Laser-induced cavitation bubbles have been identified to hold significant applications in various fields, such as industry and medicine. In this study, the dynamics of cavitation bubbles, induced by a 2.94 μm wavelength Er:YAG laser with an energy of 20 ±1 mJ and transmitted via sapphire fiber optics into distilled water at different temperatures, were investigated. The adiabatic expansion theory was utilized to predict the maximum length (Lmax) and the maximum width (Wmax) of the cavitation bubbles at different liquid temperatures. Excellent alignment was observed between the theoretical predictions and the experimental data. Using this theory, the local overheated liquid temperature was deduced to be ∼180 °C during the formation of cavitation bubbles. It was found that as the liquid temperature increased, the collapse position of the cavitation bubbles, relative to the normalized distance (γ) from the fiber end face, decreased. This study reveals the importance of considering the potential risk of damage to fiber optics from the shockwaves and microjet streams generated by cavitation bubbles in high-temperature conditions.