RADIATIVE TRANSITIONS OF ATOMIC SYSTEMS IN BUBBLES AND SONOLUMINESCENCE

Using the formalism developed by Chew [Phys. Rev. A 38, 3410 (1988); J . Chem. Phys. 87, 1355 (1987)], we evaluate the modifications on radia tive dipole transition rates with respect to their bulk values for a s onoluminescent gas bubble in water considering different spatial distr ibutions of the emitters. The most relevant changes occur near the cen ter of the bubble and near its surface both inside and outside the bub ble. The modifications are also strongly dependent on the polarization of the emitted light. The possibility of using these properties to ex perimentally characterize the space distribution of sonoluminescent em itters is discussed. [S1050-2947(98)06601-3].