Sonoluminescence - Turning sound into light

Sonoluminescence Turning SOUND into LIGHT

"And God SAID, 'Let there be light', and there was light" Gen. 1:3

Around the 1920's the technology of Sonar was first being introduced to the world. In use with detecting enemy submarines in WW I, it was fast becoming a much-needed scientific breakthrough. However, as with many laboratory experiments, unusual phenomena had been observed - giving way to a completely new field - which we today call Sonoluminescence.

Definition
Sonoluminescence is the unique ability of turning sound into light. It was first stumbled upon in 1934 by H. Frenzel and H. Schultes of the University of Cologne, Germany.* Essentially, it is the ability of acoustical energy bombarding molecules of water. But the results of such an action, taking into consideration much controlled conditions, is fantastically more intense than one may presume at first glance. For the action that takes place is to compress a bubble of air trapped in water to 1,000,000,000,000 it's own weight! Once this is accomplished, a flash of ultraviolet light - lasting only picoseconds, with the air bubble become hotter than the surface of the sun.

Not only are the mind boggling facts cited above enough to make the average head swim, but also consider the fact that the acoustical energy that bombards this air bubble is concentrated so as to amplify it 1,000,000,000,000 (One trillion) times! Such a phenomenon can cause this process of turning sound into light over 30,000 times a second.

Variations
D. Felipe Gaitan and Lawrence A. Crum, who worked at the Naval Postgraduate School and the University of Washington respectively, also did research on this experiment. Not only were they able to produce similar results, which they called "light emitting bubbles", but also were able to find ways to create "single-bubble luminescence".

Dr. Seth Putterman of the University of California and Bradley P. Barber of U.C.L.A. decided to take the findings of these previous scientists, in addition to their methods and results, and reproduce this phenomenon.

Mechanics
Using ordinary flasks, an oscilloscope, a photomultiplier tube and a typical home stereo, they proceeded to recreate the experiment. With the use of a transducer, they were able to turn oscillating voltage into mechanical vibration - essentially forming the sound waves in the flask of boiling water.

Without getting technical, simply explained, they injected an air bubble through a syringe in the flask and bombarded it with the equivalent of 110db of sound resembling a smoke detector.

Flashes of light were produced 35 microseconds in length, although extremely sensitive light sensors were required to detect this phenomenon.

Considering the fact that the process occurs so rapidly, the fact remains that an incredible state is taking place. Water pressure first drops, allowing the air bubble to swell. This expansion continues until a phenomenon the sound wave creates changes from "rarefaction" to "compression". The pressure difference from the inside of the air bubble and outside suddenly creates a catastrophic collapse to 1/100 it's size. Such a scenario is likened to atomic fission principle. A light flash is emitted at the point when the air bubble is at it's minimum radius.

It is interesting that in these experiments, they did not CREATE light in their laboratories. In any references above that allude to this, one form of energy was changed into another. God did not CREATE light. God IS light. The first law of thermodynamics states that matter cannot be created or destroyed, but only changed from one form into another.

Reproducing a model of turning sound into light demonstrates what we have already known - that the voice of God was able to bring light into the Universe. "And God SAID, let there be light and there was light." Gen. 1:3

©2003 David Film
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