Effective mobility limit in small-bubble, low-damping bubble materials

Abstract

Examination of the implications of the basic equations that govern the motion of bubbles with nonzero winding number (S) yields an unexpected result. Bubble velocity is limited to the speed implied by the effective wall mobility (gamma)r/2S, no matter how large the actual wall mobility. For large bubbles, this limit will not usually be significant. However, for small bubbles (r less than 1 micron) in low-damping materials, this limit will profoundly affect the bubble motion. A derivation of the effect and experimental confirmation of it are presented.