A mechanism stimulating sound production from air bubbles released from a nozzle.

Gas bubbles in water act as oscillators with a natural frequency inversely proportional to their radius and a quality factor determined by thermal, radiation, and viscous losses. The linear dynamics of spherical bubbles are well understood, but the excitation mechanism leading to sound production at the moment of bubble creation has been the subject of speculation. Experiments and models presented here show that sound from bubbles released from a nozzle can be excited by the rapid decrease in volume accompanying the collapse of the neck of gas which joins the bubble to its parent.