Sound scattering and localized heat deposition of pulse-driven microbubbles

Sascha Hilgenfeldt, Detlef Lohse, Michael Zomack

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The sound scattering of free microbubbles released from strongly driven ultrasound contrast agents with brittle shell (e.g., Sonovist®) is studied numerically. At high peak pressure of the driving pulses, the bubbles respond nonlinearly with cross sections pronouncedly larger than in the linear case; a large portion of the energy is radiated into high frequency ultrasound. Subsequent absorption of these high frequencies in the surrounding liquid (blood) diminishes the effective scattering cross section drastically. The absorption results in highly localized heating, with a substantial temperature rise within the first few μm from the bubble surface. The maximum heating in 1 μm distance is strongly dependent on driving pressure. Temperature elevations of more than 100 K can be achieved for amplitudes of P(a)>≃30 atm, which coincides with the highest pressures used in ultrasound diagnostics. The perfectly spherical collapses assumed here occur rarely, and the heating is highly localized and transient (~10 μs). Therefore, a thermal hazard would only be expected at driving pressures beyond the diagnostic range. (C) 2000 Acoustical Society of America.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3530-3539
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of the Acoustical Society of America
Volume107
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2000
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Acoustics and Ultrasonics

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