Objective To investigate the enhancement effect of self-excited thermoacoustic oscillation on the drying process of solid foods.Methods A pulsating hot air drying device based on a Rijke tube resonator structure is designed. White radish slices are selected as the target material to study the effects of hot air temperature (100~140 ℃), airflow velocity (1~7 m/s), and layer thickness (4~12 mm) on drying kinetics and product quality.Results The device can stably generate a self-excited pulsating airflow with a temperature of 140 ℃, frequency of 147 Hz, and sound pressure level of 94 dB, which significantly improves drying efficiency compared to traditional non-pulsed drying methods. Under a 100 ℃ working condition, the drying time is reduced from 165 min to 135 min (an 18% decrease), and the enhancement effect increased with temperature (at 140 ℃, the drying rate tripled). With optimized parameters (100 ℃, 1 m/s airflow, 8 mm material thickness), the shrinkage rate (67%), rehydration ratio (4.66), and whiteness (70.18) of the white radish slices are improved compared to conventional drying.Conclusion Thermoacoustic oscillation enhances heat and mass transfer efficiency by periodically disturbing the thermal boundary layer, while also reducing structural damage to the material caused by high temperatures.