  We describe a recently realized experiment producing the most spherical
cavitation bubbles today. The bubbles grow inside a liquid from a point-plasma
generated by a nanosecond laser pulse. Unlike in previous studies, the laser is
focussed by a parabolic mirror, resulting in a plasma of unprecedented
symmetry. The ensuing bubbles are sufficiently spherical that the hydrostatic
pressure gradient caused by gravity becomes the dominant source of asymmetry in
the collapse and rebound of the cavitation bubbles. To avoid this natural
source of asymmetry, the whole experiment is therefore performed in
microgravity conditions (ESA, 53rd and 56th parabolic flight campaign).
Cavitation bubbles were observed in microgravity (~0g), where their collapse
and rebound remain spherical, and in normal gravity (1g) to hyper-gravity
(1.8g), where a gravity-driven jet appears. Here, we describe the experimental
setup and technical results, and overview the science data. A selection of
high-quality shadowgraphy movies and time-resolved pressure data is published
online.
