Investigation of Physical Mechanisms of Laser-Induced Boiling in Subcooled Liquids via Mathematical Modeling

Laser radiation delivered through a thin (0.2–0.6 mm) optical fiber immersed in a cold liquid can induce thermocavitation, a process involving vapor bubble expansion, bubble collapse, and the formation and propagation of a high-speed liquid jet. This phenomenon has found wide-ranging applications in engineering and medicine, including particle removal, surgical procedures, perforation, debridement, and heating of biological tissues.
Further development of practical applications, as well as a deeper fundamental understanding of thermocavitation, requires elucidation of the physical mechanisms governing the various stages of this process across different parameter regimes.
In this work, we discuss simplified mathematical models and methods that have enabled us to identify the physical mechanisms underlying liquid jet formation, bubble collapse, and the influence of rigid boundaries, as well as to explain the origin of the elevated jet temperature. It is shown that, in certain cases, simplified mathematical models provide more insightful results and interpretation of experimental data than detailed numerical simulations.