Work

The thermoelastic basis of short pulsed laser ablation of biological tissue.

Year: 1995

Type: article

Abstract: Strong evidence that short-pulse laser ablation of biological tissues is a photomechanical process is presented. A full three-dimensional, time-dependent solution to the thermoelastic wave equation is compared to the results of experiments using an interferometric surface monitor to measure thermoelastic expansion. Agreement is excellent for calibrations performed on glass and on acrylic at low laser fluences. For cortical bone, the measurements agree well with the theoretical predictions once optical scattering is included. The theory predicts the presence of the tensile stresses necessary to rupture the tissue during photomechanical ablation. The technique is also used to monitor the ablation event both before and after material is ejected.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.92.6.1960

Authors: I Itzkan, D Albagli, M L Dark, L T Perelman, C von Rosenberg, M S Feld

Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Laser Material Processing Techniques

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources

Awards: MIT LASER BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER, G435788447, G9000145732