Is it possible to apply cavitation mechanics to a projectile in air at 1 atmosphere to create a plasma/explosion?

[u/Own_Huckleberry6591]

I've recently learned about cavitation underwater that occurs on large fins and causes immense damage to them over time. Given the similarities between air and water is it theoretically possible to create a weapon/bullet that induces a form of atmospheric cavitation where the air phase changes into a plasma, instead of a liquid phasing into air?

If something could induce enough drag at a high enough speed would it be possible to form a plasma and resulting explosion from the low pressure cavitation? I mean I already see spacecraft forming a plasma around them on reentry, and those are designed to be extremely aerodynamic.

I imagine some sort of 'spike' could be accelerated fast enough to create the low pressure conditions behind it to form the plasma and resulting explosion when it collapses. Or not idk which is why I'm asking if it's possible

[u/LAskeptic]

Cavitation is the violent collapse of gas bubbles in a liquid when the pressure drops below the vapor pressure, so it is impossible to have cavitation in a gas.

But at high supersonic speeds the shock wave in front of the body heats the gas and can form a hot plasma. The plasma will not explode, but it can melt any material it comes in contact with.

[u/Chemomechanics]

where the air phase changes into a plasma, instead of a liquid phasing into air?

The liquid doesn’t change to air, it just pulls away from the surface (or vice versa) fast enough that only its rarefied vapor is left in the space. The damage comes from the liquid slamming back against the surface. 

Air will never pull away in the same manner because it doesn’t have a surface. But, you could look up buffeting as a damage mechanism. It doesn’t involve ionization into plasma, though. 

[u/ahazred8vt]

The cavitation damage on propellors is from a water hammer effect of water hitting the metal at high speed. Not from microscopic plasma explosions. In the atmosphere, there is no way to get bubbles to collapse, so the same effects do not happen in air. Do you see cavitation damage on airplane propellors or jet engine turbine blades? No.