Recent work on single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) has shown that many
features of this phenomenon, especially the dependence of SBSL intensity and
stability on experimental parameters, can be explained within a hydrodynamic
approach. More specifically, many important properties can already be derived
from an analysis of bubble wall dynamics. This dynamics is conveniently
described by the Rayleigh-Plesset (RP) equation. In this work we derive
analytical approximations for RP dynamics and subsequent analytical laws for
parameter dependences. These results include (i) an expression for the onset
threshold of SL, (ii) an analytical explanation of the transition from
diffusively unstable to stable equilibria for the bubble ambient radius
(unstable and stable sonoluminescence), and (iii) a detailed understanding of
the resonance structure of the RP equation. It is found that the threshold for
SL emission is shifted to larger bubble radii and larger driving pressures if
surface tension is enlarged, whereas even a considerable change in liquid
viscosity leaves this threshold virtually unaltered. As an enhanced viscosity
stabilizes the bubbles against surface oscillations, we conclude that the ideal
liquid for violently collapsing, surface stable SL bubbles should have small
surface tension and large viscosity, although too large viscosity (>40 times
the viscosity of water) will again preclude collapses.Comment: 41 pages, 21 eps and ps figures; LaTeX stylefiles replaced because
the PostScript file produced at the archive had misplaced and misscaled
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