Comparison of soft and hard tissue ablation with sub-ps and ns pulse lasers

Tissue ablation with ultrashort laser pulses offers several unique advantages. The nonlinear energy deposition is insensitive to tissue type, allowing this tool to be used for soft and hard tissue ablation. The localized energy deposition lead to precise ablation depth and minimal collateral damage. This paper reports on efforts to study and demonstrate tissue ablation using an ultrashort pulse laser. Ablation efficiency and extent of collateral damage for 0.3 ps and 1000 ps duration laser pulses are compared. Temperature measurements of the rear surface of a tooth section is also presented

Hohlraum X-ray deposition in indirect-drive ICF ablator materials

Accurate measurements of shock timing and ablator x-ray burnthrough will be essential for the successful ignition of an indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule. In previous work [1], measurements of ablator shock velocities, shock temperatures, and preheat temperatures were made using a 280 nm Streaked Optical Pyrometer (SOP) [2]. The x-ray fluxes were supplied by hohlraums driven by the University of Rochester Omega Laser [3]. More recent ablator experiments at Omega have extended the previous work by using an absolutely calibrated 600-800 nm SOP [4] together with a line-imaging velocity interferometer [5] similar to the diagnostic proposed for accurate National Ignition Facility (NIF) ignition shock timing measurements [6]. Important new information has been obtained relating to ablator surface movement prior to shock breakout, ablator preheat temperature, and preheat effects on the anvil and window components of the shock timing diagnostic system

Laser-driven shock experiments on precompressed water: Implications for "icy" giant planets

Laser-driven shock compression of samples precompressed to 1 GPa produces high-pressure-temperature conditions inducing two significant changes in the optical properties of water: the onset of opacity followed by enhanced reflectivity in the initially transparent water. The onset of reflectivity at infrared wavelengths can be interpreted as a semiconductorelectronic conductor transition in water, and is found at pressures above ~130 GPa for single-shocked samples precompressed to 1 GPa. Our results indicate that conductivity in the deep interior of “icy” giant planets is greater than realized previously because of an additional contribution from electrons

Thermodynamic and electrical properties of laser-shocked liquid deuterium

Liquid deuterium at high pressure and temperature has been observed to undergo significant electronic structural changes. Reflectivity and temperature measurements of liquid deuterium up to around 70 GPa were obtained using a quartz standard. The observed specific heat of liquid deuterium approaches the Dulong-Petit limit above 1 eV. Discussions on specific heat indicate a molecular dissociation below 1 eV and fully dissociated above 1.5 eV. Also, the electrical conductivity of deuterium estimated from reflectivity reaches ~1.3 × 105 (Ω⋅m)-1, proving that deuterium in this condition is a conducting degenerate liquid metal and undergo an insulator-metal transition. The results from specific heat, carrier density and conductivity agreed well with each other, which might be a reinforcement of the insulator-metal transition and the molecular dissociation. In addition, a new correction method of reflectivity in temperature calculation was proposed to improve the accuracy of temperature results. A new “dynamic calibration” was introduced in this work to make the experiments simpler and more accurate