Sound that can vapourize water discovered
Scientists have discovered what they believe is the loudest possible underwater sound. This sound is so powerful that it can vaporize water on contact. It is caused by a tiny water jet -- about half the width of a human hair -- being hit by an even thinner X-ray laser.You can't actually hear this sound, because it was created in a vacuum chamber. That's probably for the best, considering that, at around 270 decibels, these rumbling pressure waves are even louder than NASA's loudest-ever rocket launch (which measured about 205 decibels). However, you can see the sound's microscopically devastating effects in action, thanks to a series of ultra-slow-motion videos recorded at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, as part of a new study. The pulsing laser immediately splits the water jet in two, vaporizing the fluid that it touches while sending powerful pressure waves wobbling down either side of the jet. These waves create more waves and,...