  It is shown that the scattering of laser radiation on cavitation ruptures in
fluids is similar to the scattering by gas particles. When the characteristic
dimensions of microscopic voids and bubbles are considerably smaller than the
laser wavelength, the scattered light is in the Rayleigh regime and allows
detecting cavitation in the very early stages of its inception. The simple
estimates of the scattered radiation intensity and the dynamics of its changes
in connection with the generation of cavitation in the test volume are
obtained, allowing us to find the critical conditions for the cavitation
inception.
