Sonoluminescence—the repeatable -fold energy concentration in acoustically collapsing bubbles emitting ultraviolet light—lacks a consensus quantitative mechanism. Existing explanations invoke shock focusing, plasma hotspots, or quantum vacuum effects, but none derive the observed yield without ad hoc tuning. Here we propose a candidate thermodynamic contribution: entropy-paid irreversible record stabilization in an open bubble plasma projects coherent photon states during collapse. We derive the concentration as where is a mesoscopic multiplicity set by the plasma frequency over the emission pulse duration. Using experimentally motivated parameters, the expression matches the observed photon yield () without tuning and predicts spectral deviations in high-pressure regimes. The framework yields falsifiable tests—entropy-dependent efficiency scaling and saturation behavior—that distinguish it from shock or Casimir models. While motivated by recent work on irreversible quantum record formation, the contribution does not depend on any specific interpretational framework. If validated, entropy-paid stabilization constitutes a necessary contribution to extreme energy focusing in open systems.
Brent W. Jonah (Wed,) studied this question.