The very high pressures (>1 GPa) that occur during the final stages of collapse of a cavitation bubble force the liquid near the bubble wall briefly (∼1 ns) into a metastable state of subcooling, relative to the equilibrium phase diagram. Estimates for water show that solidification in the form of high-pressure ice particles can occur at a sufficient rate to affect the collapse. This explains a number of different phenomena associated with cavitation in water.

• Received 8 September 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.73.2853