Dynamics of single-bubble sonoluminescence. An alternative approach to the Rayleigh–Plesset equation

Sonoluminescence is the phenomenon in which acoustic energy is (partially) transformed into light as a bubble of gas collapses inside a liquid medium. One particular model used to explain the motion of the bubble's wall forced by acoustic pressure is expressed by the Rayleigh–Plesset equation, which can be obtained from the Navier–Stokes equation. In this article, we describe an alternative approach to derive the Rayleigh–Plesset equation based on Lagrangian mechanics. This work is addressed mainly to undergraduate students and teachers. It requires knowledge of calculus and of many concepts from various fields of physics at the intermediate level. (paper)