Molecular emissions in sonoluminescence spectra of water sonicated under Ar- based gas mixtures

Sonoluminescence (SL) spectroscopy is one of the very few ways to study the plasma formed in solutions submitted to ultrasound. Unfortunately, up to now only very limited emission bands were reported in SL spectra of aqueous solutions. It is shown here that by adding some N2 and/or CO2 in Ar, new molecular emissions can be observed and that rovibronic temperatures can be derived.