Atomic collisions and sonoluminescence

Abstract

We consider inelastic collisions between atoms of different kinds as a potential source of photons in the sonoluminescence phenomena. We estimate the total energy emitted in one flash and the shape of the spectrum and find a rough agreement between the results of our calculation and the experimental data. We conclude that the atomic collisions might be a candidate for the light-emitting mechanism for sonoluminescence and discuss the implications.

Comments: 7 pages, revtex