Undergrad Why Isn't My Sonoluminescence Experiment Working?

[Beekeeper]

TL;DR

I am working on a sonoluminescence experiment and am having trouble with it. The problem is that although I can trap a bubble, I cannot get it to glow.

Hi, I am working on a sonoluminescence experiment and am having trouble with it. The problem is that although I can trap a bubble, I cannot get it to glow.

I am following the same procedure described by 'The Thought Emporium' and you can see a video about it here: .

In a nutshell the procedure is similar to the standard one described here: http://techmind.org/sl/ but rather than having two transducers on either side of the flask, I just have one transducer at the bottom.

Below is a picture of my flask with the trapped bubble. I wonder if anyone else has attempted the experiment following this procedure and been successful or can offer me any advice?

Thanks.

 

[brainpushups]

I remember doing this a long time ago in school and being frustrated by it. Turned out that we did it correctly but we couldn't see it by looking at it directly - we had to use peripheral vision. You could try that, or try taking a long exposure photograph if possible.

 

[Beekeeper]

Thanks for your reply.

I have been wondering for a while if it was working but simply the glow was too dim to be noticed by the naked eye.

I have tried taking a photo with a long exposure as suggested however have been unsuccessful capturing any glow. Admittedly the camera I am using is not great.

I was thinking to look at the bubble in the dark through a stereo microscope or similar. Anyone tried this or is it a bad idea?