Exeter students burst bubble-making world record

Two University of Exeter physics students believe they have broken the world record for the longest-lasting bubble, keeping it intact for an astonishing 1 hour and 24 minutes - more than an hour longer than the previous record.

Third-year students Boden Duffy and Joe Nightingale achieved the feat on Monday in a soundproof laboratory at the university, using an acoustic levitation machine. A group of witnesses observed the attempt, and video footage will now be sent to the Guinness Book of World Records for official verification.

The record attempt was specifically for the longest-lasting bubble created using acoustic levitation, a technique that employs high-intensity sound waves to suspend objects in the air against gravity. In this case, a tiny bubble - just a few millimetres in diameter - was formed from a droplet of water mixed with a soapy solution. The droplet, flattened into a disc by acoustic pressure, then curled up to form a bubble.

The entire process occurs in milliseconds, captured by a high-speed camera. One machine forms the bubble, while another keeps it perfectly still in the air.

“We found that a lot of people have used the acoustic levitator to study droplets but not the bubbles it can create,” said Nightingale. “We’ve based our project on some of those research papers we’ve found. We’re trying to replicate some of those experiments with bubbles to see if we can get the same results or find something new.”

Duffy and Nightingale were confident in their chances before making the attempt. After more than an hour of watching their bubble remain intact, they made the decision to burst it themselves. “We just wanted to move on with our lives,” they joked.

Their record-breaking aspirations stemmed from their final-year project on the oscillation modes of bubbles. As their research progressed, they realised they had a knack for creating long-lasting bubbles.

“Once we’d formed a bubble, it just sort of happened,” said Duffy. “The hardest part is probably setting it all up,” added Nightingale.

While bubble-making may not be a lucrative career path, the technology behind their experiment has real-world applications. Dr Chris Brunt, a physicist at the university, highlighted the significance of acoustic levitators in scientific research and manufacturing.

“They’re useful in many fields, including the production of microchips and the study of biological samples. Scientists can levitate small insects, cells, or droplets under a microscope for observation without contamination. These levitators also enable touchless chemical reactions, ensuring that two substances only interact with each other, rather than any container or surface,” he explained.

With their record attempt complete, Duffy and Nightingale are awaiting official confirmation from Guinness World Records—while also, presumably, moving on with their lives.