Nonlinear echoes from encapsulated antibubbles

Abstract

An antibubble consists of a liquid droplet, surrounded by a gas, often with an encapsulating shell. Antibubbles of microscopic sizes suspended in fluids are acoustically active in the ultrasonic range. Antibubbles have applications in food processing and guided drug delivery. We study the sound generated from antibubbles, with droplet core sizes in the range of 0–90% of the equilibrium antibubble inner radius. The antibubble resonance frequency, the phase difference of the echo with respect to the incident acoustic pulse, and the presence of higher harmonics are strongly dependent of the core droplet size. Antibubbles oscillate highly nonlinearly around resonance size. This may allow for using antibubbles in clinical diagnostic imaging and targeted drug delivery.