Sonoluminescence and bubble fusion*

Sonoluminescence (SL), the phenomenon of light emission from nonlinear motion of a gas bubble, involves an extreme degree of energy focusing. The conditions within the bubble during the last stages of the nearly catastrophic implosion are thought to parallel the efforts aimed at developing inertial confinement fusion. A limited review on the topic of SL and its possible connection to bubble nuclear fusion is presented here. The emphasis is on looking for a link between the various forms of SL observed and the severity of bubble collapse or implosion. A simple energy analysis is also presented to enable the search for an appropriate parameter space and an experimental technique for achieving energy densities required for triggering fusion reactions within the bubble.