Sonoluminescence

Now, sonoluminescence is really strange because via holes in liquid sound can generate light. But light from LED or OLED also comes via holes -- in the crystal or liquid. Can these become related?

We at FLL always liked sonoluminescence and put it into the same leage as the known emission of weak bio-photons by organic cells in the body, yours included.

Scientists have been pretty much at a loss what may cause either of them.
So put on your thinking hat and lend them a hand - at least mentally.

In the case of sound, high energy, in the form of a beam of ultrasonic boom waves, can be partly converted into light energy by aiming the sound at an air bubble in water. When the sound causes the bubble to collapse it emits very short (lasts less than 12 picosecond) and sharp light pulses.

Some scientific theorists have explained sonoluminescence with possible radiation that comes from a plasma (an ionised state of gas we consider at compact fluorescent lights and plasma TVs) formed by the collapse of the bubble.

OLED and sonoluminescne - who knows?

Let's look at it again. When an air bubble immersed in liquid (note: this bubble is essentially a hole in the light mediating refractive substance that is air) gets burst by sound waves light gets emitted.

Now, all LEDs emit light for another reason: - Electron meets hole in crystal or in the case of OLED -- in liquid.

So if, for any reason, OLED were to emit light via caused by sound waves, it sure wouldn't last too long as you would run out of holes sooner or later. Unless you found the way to replenish those holes in the liquid.

That way OLED could simultaneously emit light via sound wave and electron flow (electricity) excitation. But the effect would be truly mesmerising as one would be nice shining light, while the other would be a shimmering back-glow -- all visibly coming from the same place resulting in a kind of shining velvety texture.

But that's not all. Either one or both light type could be easily modulated by the sound and that could be quite a pleasing multimedia show.

Ok, back to the title theme.

A New Theory Of Sonoluminescence

A very clever theory by Claudia Eberlein of Cambridge University promises an exciting explanation. It suggests that light is being emitted by a vacuum that is ordinarily abound with virtual photons a kind of virtual light source. Sound waves would simply facilitate the conversion of virtual light source into real one.

She believes the light is being emitted by the vacuum surrounding the bubble. Modern quantum theory holds that unseeable virtual photons abound in the vacuum. The behavior of these "zero-point fluctuations" is influenced by the properties of the surrounding medium. The rapidly moving air-water interface (where two media different indices of refraction come together) may facilitate the conversion of virtual photons into real photons.

In fact, Eberlein says, sonoluminescence may represent the first observable manifestation of quantum vacuum radiation.

This scenario can be compared to the "Unruh effect," a hypothetical phenomenon in which photons are emitted by a mirror accelerating through a vacuum.

Eberlein also asserts that researchers can actually put her theory to an experimental test and compare the results to other models of sonoluminescence. (Claudia Eberlein, upcoming article in Physical Review Letters.)
http://newton.ex.ac.uk/aip/physnews.267.html#1

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