This group counts, locates and sizes the sound properties of gas bubble populations in diverse environments, such as beneath breaking ocean waves; for monitoring how greenhouse gases dissolve into the ocean; in commercially sensitive materials; within industrial pipelines; and within bubble nets used by humpback whales and dolphins to trap fish. Intense sound fields can ‘tear' liquids apart. The bubbles so formed then collapse violently and the gas within them can be compressed to reach temperatures as hot as the surface of the sun. This ultrasonic effect is used by the group to destroy kidney stones and to generate extreme chemical reactions in a range of interdisciplinary research projects. Further information on bubble acoustics can be found here.
This area explores the explosive growth and violent collapse of bubbles within liquids and the resulting erosion caused by intense acoustic fields. These unwanted ‘erosions' can be exploited in ultrasonic cleaning baths. This research has strong collaborative links with the School of Chemistry.
The group's work investigates the interaction between ultrasound and porous bone to improve ultrasonic diagnosis systems. New theoretical approaches have been developed and exploited in experimental apparatus to allow quantitative assessment of bone health.
Further information on ultrasonics and underwater acoustics can be found here.