ext_22722 ([identity profile] theidolhands.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] 1word1day2015-06-27 07:03 am

Saturday Word: Sonoluminescence

son·o·lu·mi·ne·scence [sŏn'ə-lo͞o'mə-nĕsʹəns]:
origin: [1934] Latin; sonare= resound + luminescere= shine.

noun
"Star in a jar." - Prof. Seth Putterman, PhD in physics.

A currently somewhat inexplicable reaction, made when a sound wave is passed through a bubble suspended in liquid, causing the bubble to expand, then collapse (cavitation), then burst into a bright light; bubble fusion!


Watch and see for yourself.


Last Week's Word: Dacha & Zoopraxiscope