Interaction of short laser pulses with biological structures

Focusing of light pulses emitted by a Q-switched laser, which have a duration of some nanoseconds, into a medium leads to laser-induced breakdown. The shockwaves produced by this propagate through the medium and can interact with inhomogeneities situated within the medium and consequently cause destruction. Because of the increasing interest in these short light pulses in the medical field the interaction of the shockwaves with biological tissue has been investigated. The observed results indicate the influence of two physical quantities of the shockwave: the peak pressure and the duration.