The sizes and numbers of gas bubbles in water are reflected in the susceptibility to cavitation and in the acoustical properties. Acoustic probing is a simple and robust experimental method for obtaining information about the population of bubbles; however, the conversion of the measured data requires solution of a complex ill-posed inverse problem. This project will incorporate the multi-phase character of the bubbles into the model used for solving problems of this kind. Multi-phase flow and bubble dynamics will be modelled to obtain proper equations for determination of the bubble population; and the resulting ill-posed problems will be solved by regularization. This solid theoretical framework can be used to design instruments for accurate determination of the bubble population.
