Measurement of the resonance frequency of single bubbles using a laser Doppler vibrometer

The behavior of bubbles confined in tubes and channels is important in medical and industrial applications. In these small spaces, traditional means of experimentally observing bubble dynamics are often impossible or significantly perturb the system. A laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) requires a narrow (<1 mm diameter) line-of-sight access for the beam and illumination of the bubble does not perturb its dynamics. LDV measurements of the resonance frequency of a bubble suspended in a small tank are presented to illustrate the utility of this measurement technique. The precision of the technique is similar to the precision of traditional acoustic techniques.