Acoustic Energy Storage in Single Bubble Sonoluminescence

Single bubble sonoluminescence is understood in terms of a shock focusing towards the bubble center. We present a mechanism for significantly enhancing the effect of shock focusing, arising from the storage of energy in the acoustic modes of the gas. The modes with strongest coupling are not spherically symmetric. The storage of acoustic energy gives a framework for understanding how light intensities depend so strongly on ambient gases and liquids and suggests that the light intensities of successive flashes are highly correlated.