EXPERIMENTAL DETECTION OF A SUBHARMONIC ROUTE TO CHAOS IN ACOUSTIC CAVITATION THROUGH THE TUNING OF A PIEZOELECTRIC CAVITY

Experimental observation is reported of a subharmonic route to chaos t hrough the tuning of a piezoelectric cavity. The emission spectrum of bubbles generated in a liquid contained in the cavity through the appl ication of a pressure ultrasonic field of constant frequency is analyz ed. The cavity height is used as control parameter to vary the resonan ce frequency of the cavity. In the emission spectrum of the bubbles su bharmonics of the excitation frequency are observed. This phenomenon i s identified as a period-doubling bifurcation and is explained on the basis of a simple model of resonance in the cavity. The appearance of subharmonics is highly sensitive to changes in the cavity height. (C) 1998 Acoustical Society of America.