On the probability summation model for laser-damage thresholds

This paper explores the probability summation model in an attempt to provide insight to the model’s utility and ultimately its validity. The model is a statistical description of multiple-pulse (MP) damage trends. It computes the probability of n pulses causing damage from knowledge of the single-pulse dose–response curve. Recently, the model has been used to make a connection between the observed n−1∕4 trends in MP damage thresholds for short pulses (\u3c10 \u3eμs) and experimental uncertainties, suggesting that the observed trend is an artifact of experimental methods. We will consider the correct application of the model in this case. We also apply this model to the spot-size dependence of short pulse damage thresholds, which has not been done previously. Our results predict that the damage threshold trends with respect to the irradiated area should be similar to the MP damage threshold trends, and that observed spot-size dependence for short pulses seems to display this trend, which cannot be accounted for by the thermal models. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI. [DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.21.1.015006

BTEC Thermal Model

AFRL/RHDO has developed a configurable, laser-tissue interaction model that includes components from various areas of Biophysics. The model predicts heat transfer in biological tissue, in either one-dimension or two-dimensional cylindrical coordinates, and is coupled to an Arrhenius damage model. A simulation can be configured as a single run, or a damage-threshold search. Multiple models for describing the laser-tissue interaction are available, including linear absorption (1D, 2D), Monte Carlo scattering (2D) and Beam Propagation Methods using Finite Difference approximations or Hankel Transform methods (2D)

Infrared skin damage thresholds from 1319-nm continous-wave laser exposures

A series of experiments were conducted in vivo using Yucatan miniature pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) to determine thermal damage thresholds to the skin from 1319-nm continuous-wave Nd:YAG laser irradiation. Experiments employed exposure durations of 0.25, 1.0, 2.5, and 10 s and beam diameters of ∼0.6 and 1 cm. Thermal imagery data provided a time-dependent surface temperature response from the laser. A damage endpoint of fifty percent probability of a minimally visible effect was used to determine threshold for damage at 1 and 24 h postexposure. Predicted thermal response and damage thresholds are compared with a numerical model of opticalthermal interaction. Resultant trends with respect to exposure duration and beam diameter are compared with current standardized exposure limits for laser safety. Mathematical modeling agreed well with experimental data, predicting that though laser safety standards are sufficient for exposuress, they may become less safe for very long exposures. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI. [DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.18.12.125002

Infrared skin damage thresholds from 1940-nm continuous-wave laser exposures

A series of experiments are conducted in vivo using Yucatan mini-pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) to determine thermal damage thresholds to the skin from 1940-nm continuous-wave thulium fiber laser irradiation. Experiments employ exposure durations from 10 ms to 10 s and beam diameters of approximately 4.8 to 18 mm. Thermal imagery data provide a time-dependent surface temperature response from the laser. A damage endpoint of minimally visible effect is employed to determine threshold for damage at 1 and 24 h postexposure. Predicted thermal response and damage thresholds are compared with a numerical model of optical-thermal interaction. Results are compared with current exposure limits for laser safety. It is concluded that exposure limits should be based on data representative of large-beam exposures, where effects of radial diffusion are minimized for longer-duration damage threshold

A hymenopterists' guide to the hymenoptera anatomy ontology: utility, clarification, and future directions

Hymenoptera exhibit an incredible diversity of phenotypes, the result of ~240 million years of evolution and the primary subject of more than 250 years of research. Here we describe the history, development, and utility of the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology (HAO) and its associated applications. These resourc¬es are designed to facilitate accessible and extensible research on hymenopteran phenotypes. Outreach with the hymenopterist community is of utmost importance to the HAO project, and this paper is a direct response to questions that arose from project workshops. In a concerted attempt to surmount barriers of understanding, especially regarding the format, utility, and development of the HAO, we discuss the roles of homology, “preferred terms”, and “structural equivalency”. We also outline the use of Universal Resource Identifiers (URIs) and posit that they are a key element necessary for increasing the objectivity and repeatability of science that references hymenopteran anatomy. Pragmatically, we detail a mechanism (the “URI table”) by which authors can use URIs to link their published text to the HAO, and we describe an associated tool (the “Analyzer”) to derive these tables. These tools, and others, are available through the HAO Portal website (http://portal.hymao.org). We conclude by discussing the future of the HAO with respect to digital publication, cross-taxon ontology alignment, the advent of semantic phenotypes, and community-based curation.Katja C. Seltmann... Andrew D. Austin... John T. Jennings... et al

On the probability summation model for laser-damage thresholds

This paper explores the probability summation model in an attempt to provide insight to the model’s utility and ultimately its validity. The model is a statistical description of multiple-pulse (MP) damage trends. It computes the probability of n pulses causing damage from knowledge of the single-pulse dose–response curve. Recently, the model has been used to make a connection between the observed n−1∕4 trends in MP damage thresholds for short pulses (\u3c10 \u3eμs) and experimental uncertainties, suggesting that the observed trend is an artifact of experimental methods. We will consider the correct application of the model in this case. We also apply this model to the spot-size dependence of short pulse damage thresholds, which has not been done previously. Our results predict that the damage threshold trends with respect to the irradiated area should be similar to the MP damage threshold trends, and that observed spot-size dependence for short pulses seems to display this trend, which cannot be accounted for by the thermal models. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI. [DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.21.1.015006

Lattice, Time-Dependent Approach for Electron-Hydrogen Scattering

A time-dependent approach for treating electron-hydrogen scattering is reported that utilizes a fully correlated two-electron wavefunction represented on a three-dimensional lattice using the basis-spline collocation method. The lattice, time-dependent approach obviates the need for consideration of the three-body Coulomb boundary conditions, avoids the use of severe approximations such as those of perturbation theory for slow collisions, and provides a relatively dense representation of the one- and two-electron continua. Probabilities for excitation and ionization are computed by projection onto lattice eigenstates of the H atom. Partial cross sections for excitation and ionization are obtained and compared with results of other theoretical methods for the 1S and 3S channels

Time-Dependent Approach to Atomic Autoionization

A time-dependent approach to the study of atomic autoionization in two-electron systems is formulated. In the first step a two-dimensional (2D) model He atom is constructed by replacing the full 3D electrostatic interaction with a 1D soft-core interaction. The autoionization decay of doubly excited states constructed within the model is calculated by both standard perturbation theory and direct solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Configuration-interaction theory is invoked to obtain correlated resonance states, and strong laser fields are found to alter the decay rates. In the second step the full 6D wave function for the He atom is expanded in coupled spherical harmonics using a procedure as described by C. Bottcher, D. R. Schultz, and D. H. Madison [Phys. Rev. A 49, 1714 (1994)]. Solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation reduces to solving the propagator equations for the 3D expansion coefficients on a B-spline collocation lattice. Autoionizing decay rate calculations using product resonance states are found to be in qualitative agreement with the 2D model results