Transient subharmonic and ultraharmonic acoustic emission during dissolution of free gas bubbles.

This work concerns the study of free gas bubble behavior, a basic step in contrast agent study. In order to improve the understanding of microbubble-ultrasound interaction, we propose an acoustic dynamic observation of microbubble behavior performed by a high frame-rate acquiring and processing system. Results from ultrasonic observations of free gas microbubbles are discussed and compared with theoretical simulation. Peculiar radio frequency (RF) echo signals back-propagated from bubbles during dissolution up to their destruction are shown and their behavior is discussed. In particular, the different orders of subharmonic emissions related to changes in bubble sizes during dissolution were observed.