Application of femtosecond‐pulsed lasers for direct optical manipulation of biological functions

Absorption of photon energy by cells or tissue can evoke photothermal, photomechanical, and photochemical effects, depending on the density of the deposited energy. Photochemical effects require a low energy density and can be used for reversible modulation of biological functions. Ultrashort‐pulsed lasers have a high intensity due to the short pulse duration, despite its low average energy. Through nonlinear absorption, these lasers can deliver very high peak energy into the submicrometer focus area without causing collateral damage. Absorbed energy delivered by ultrashort‐pulsed laser irradiation induces free electrons, which can be readily converted to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and related free radicals in the localized region. Free radicals are best known to induce irreversible biological effects via oxidative modification; however, they have also been proposed to modulate biological functions by releasing calcium ions from intracellular organelles. Calcium can evoke variable biological effects in both excitable and nonexcitable cell types. Controlled stimulation by ultrashort laser pulses generate intracellular calcium waves that can modulate many biological functions, such as cardiomyocyte beat rate, muscle contractility, and blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability. This article presents optical methods that are useful therapeutic and research tools in the biomedical field and discuss the possible mechanisms responsible for biological modulation by ultrashort‐pulsed lasers, especially femtosecond‐pulsed lasers.     

Manipulation on human red blood cells with femtosecond optical tweezers

Different types of femtosecond optical tweezers have become a powerful tool in the modern biological field. However, how to control the irregular targets, including biological cells, using femtosecond optical tweezers remains to be explored. In this study, human red blood cells (hRBCs) are manipulated with femtosecond optical tweezers, and their states under different laser powers are investigated. The results indicate that optical potential traps only can capture the edge of hRBCs under the laser power from 1.4 to 2.8 mW, while it can make hRBCs turn over with the laser power more than 2.8 roW. It is suggested that femtosecond optical tweezers could not only manipulate biological cells, but also subtly control its states by adjusting the laser power.     

Three-dimensional optical storage in fused silica using modulated femtosecond pulses

Three-dimensional bitwise optical recording with a density of 500 Gb/cm3 in fused silica using a Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser modulated by binary digits is demonstrated. Laser pulses modulation is realized by modulating two circuits of trigger pulses signal which are used to control laser pulses trapping and switching out from cavity, respectively. Bits are optically readout in both a parallel reading (phase-contrast) and a serial reading (confocal-type) methods. The method for modulating laser pulses can also be used in all of pulsed laser systems which operate in cavity-dumping configuration.     

Spectral broadening induced by intense ultra-short pulse in 4H–SiC crystals

We report the observation of spectral broadening induced by 200 femtosecond laser pulses with the repetition rate of 1 kHz at the wavelength of 532 nm in semi-insulating 4H–SiC single crystals.It is demonstrated that the full width at half maximum of output spectrum increases linearly with the light propagation length and the peak power density,reaching a maximum 870 cm~(-1)on a crystal of 19 mm long under an incident laser with a peak power density of 60.1 GW/cm~2.Such spectral broadening can be well explained by the self-phase modulation model which correlates time-dependent phase change of pulses to intensity-dependent refractive index.The nonlinear refractive index n_2 is estimated to be1.88×10~(-15)cm~2/W.The intensity-dependent refractive index is probably due to both the nonlinear optical polarizability of the bound electrons and the increase of free electrons induced by the two-photon absorption process.Super continuum spectra could arise as crystals are long enough to induce the self-focusing effect.The results show that SiC crystals may find applications in spectral broadening of high power lasers.     

Spectral distributions of harmonic generation from electron oscillation driven by intense femtosecond laser pulses

The characteristics of harmonic radiation due to electron oscillation driven by an intense femtosecond laser pulse are analyzed considering a single electron model. An interesting modulated structure of the spectrum is observed and analyzed for different polarization. Higher order harmonic radiations are possible for a sufficiently intense driving laser pulse. We have shown that for a realistic pulsed photon beam, the spectrum of the radiation is red shifted as well as broadened because of changes in the longitudinal velocity of the electrons during the laser pulse. These effects are more pronounced at higher laser intensities giving rise to higher order harmonics that eventually leads to a continuous spectrum. Numerical simulations have further shown that by increasing the laser pulse width broadening of the high harmonic radiations can be limited.     

Generation of calcium waves in living cells induced by 1 kHz femtosecond laser protuberance microsurgery

We have demonstrated that intracellular calcium waves in a living olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) can be induced by femtosecond laser surgery on cellular protuberance. In this paper, calcium wave generation mechanisms are further investigated using different culture mediums and protuberance diameters. The protuberances of living OECs are cut by home-made 1 kHz femtosecond laser surgery system with 130 fs pulsewidth and 800 nm wavelength, and the average power of 200 μW is chosen for stable and effective cell surgery. Whether the cells are cultured in mediums with Ca²⁺ or not, intracellular calcium waves can be induced after cell surgery. The generation of calcium waves is independent on the dimension of protuberance diameter. Based on these results, we analyze generation mechanisms of calcium wave and conclude that shockwave-induced mechanical force and laser-induced cytoskeleton depolymerization are two key factors.     

飞秒激光固体靶相互作用中超热电子的输运特性

 实验研究了在100 TW掺钛宝石超短超强脉冲激光装置上完成的飞秒激光-固体靶相互作用中超热电子的输运特性,获得了超热电子的能谱、产额、注量及超热电子在靶内输运能量沉积范围。测量结果表明:超热电子的注量和总能量随靶厚度的增加而减少,超热电子约80％的能量主要沉积在靶内的前约一个激光脉冲宽度的范围内,且能量沉积范围随激光脉冲宽度的增加而增加,这主要是静电场的影响所致。     

Temperature field formed inside a blood vessel under the action of pulsed laser radiation

A model that simulates the dynamics of the temperature field formed by pulsed laser radiation inside a biological structure containing blood vessels is developed. The threshold conditions of denaturation of vessel walls and subsequent blocking the blood flow are determined based on the thermochemical concept. The possibility of application of a pulsed modulation of the radiation for increasing the homogeneity of coagulation of vessel walls and reducing the risk of damage of tissues caused by the phase transition is considered. The modulation frequency range of radiation that ensures the realization of this effect is determined.     

Thermal analysis of intense femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum

This paper numerically simulates the process of ablation of an aluminum target by an intense femtosecond laser with a fluence of 40 J/cm 2 based on the two-temperature equation,and obtains the evolution of the free electron temperature and lattice temperature over a large temporal and depth range,for the first time. By investigating the temporal evolution curves of the free electron temperature and lattice temperature at three representative depths of 0,100 nm and 500 nm,it reveals different characteristics and mechanisms of the free electron temperature evolution at different depths. The results show that,in the intense femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum,the material ablation is mainly induced by the thermal conduction of free electrons,instead of the direct absorption of the laser energy; in addition,the thermal conduction of free electrons and the coupling effect between electrons and lattice will induce the temperature of free electrons deep inside the target to experience a process from increase to decrease and finally to increase again.     

Laser‐induced Breakdown Detection (LIBD) for the Highly Sensitive Quantification of Aquatic Colloids. Part II: Experimental Setup of LIBD and Applications

Laser‐induced Breakdown Detection (LIBD) enables the concentration and size of aquatic nano‐particles (colloids), in the range of 10–1000 nm and from about 1 ng/L (ppt) up to some mg/L (ppm), to be determined. Such particles, which are frequently encountered in aquatic systems, cannot be detected using methods based on laser light scattering or obscuration or if detection is possible, then only at a comparably low level of accuracy. The method of Laser‐induced Breakdown Detection uses a high‐energy pulsed laser beam to selectively generate a plasma (dielectric breakdown) on particles. The method is based on non‐linear optics and allows for the determination of both mean particle size and concentration in aqueous samples. Practically, this method is non‐invasive, sample preparation is not required, and measurement can take place online. This second part of the double publication describes the experimental basics as well as the latest developments in the field of LIBD. Furthermore, it shows examples of practical applications and compares the technology to standard methods like dynamic laser light scattering as well as laser light obscuration.     

Femtosecond petawatt laser

The high‐power femtosecond laser has now become an excellent scientific tool for the study of not only relativistic laser–matter interactions but also scientific applications. The high‐power femtosecond laser depends on the Kerr‐lens modelocking (KLM) and chirped‐pulse amplification (CPA) technique. An all‐Ti:sapphire‐based 30‐fs PW CPA laser, which is called the PULSER (Petawatt Ultrashort Laser System for Extreme Science Research) has been recently constructed and is being used for accelerating the charged particles (electrons and protons) and generating ultrashort high‐energy photon (X‐ray and γ‐ray) sources. In this review, the world‐wide PW‐level femtosecond laser systems are first summarized, the output performances of the PULSER‐I & II are described, and the future upgrade plan of the PULSER to the multi‐PW level is also discussed. Then, several experimental results on particle (electron and proton) acceleration and X‐ray generation in the intensity range of mid‐10¹⁸ W/cm² to mid‐10²⁰ W/cm² are described. Experimental demonstrations for the newly proposed phenomena and the understanding of physical mechanisms in relativistic and ultrarelativistic regimes are highly expected as increasing the laser peak intensity up to over 10²² W/cm² ～10²³ W/cm².     

Field emission tip as a nanometer source of free electron femtosecond pulses

We report a source of free electron pulses based on a field emission tip irradiated by a low-power femtosecond laser. The electron pulses are shorter than 70 fs and originate from a tip with an emission area diameter down to 2 nm. Depending on the operating regime we observe either photofield emission or optical field emission with up to 200 electrons per pulse at a repetition rate of 1 GHz. This pulsed electron emitter, triggered by a femtosecond oscillator, could serve as an efficient source for time-resolved electron interferometry, for time-resolved nanometric imaging and for synchrotrons.     

铁磁薄膜中圆偏振光感应的瞬态磁光Kerr峰的物理起源

使用飞秒时间分辨抽运-探测磁光Kerr光谱技术,实验研究了圆偏振光抽运面内磁化FePt和垂直磁化GdFeCo薄膜的磁化演化动力学,发现在时间延迟零点处均出现瞬态Kerr峰.分析了此Kerr峰的起源,指出此瞬态Kerr峰与铁磁性无关,可能起源于自由电子的顺磁磁化,而顺磁磁化的外磁场来自圆偏振抽运光的逆Faraday效应.基于顺磁磁化模型的计算结果支持此观点.基于此观点,逆Faraday效应感应的磁场脉冲宽度应该与激光脉冲宽度一致.     

飞秒激光光镊横向光学力的理论分析

旨在将飞秒激光脉冲序列视为对连续光的周期抽样结果,分析飞秒激光脉冲序列作为光镊光源捕获电介质微粒时产生的横向光学力,并给出受光微粒所受横向光学势阱力的理论模型及计算公式.数值计算结果表明,飞秒激光脉冲所产生的横向光学力能抵消由于布朗运动引起的微粒中心偏移的影响,实现对微粒的稳定束缚.     

金属超微粒子-半导体薄膜的光学瞬态响应

利用飞秒脉冲激光和泵浦 探测技术测量了金属超微粒子 半导体复合薄膜Ａｇ-ＢａＯ的瞬态光学透过率随延迟时间的变化曲线，观察到了薄膜对光的吸收漂白现象，并在不到２ｐｓ时间内恢复．该现象是薄膜中金属超微粒子内费密能级附近电子被飞秒激光脉冲激发，产生非平衡电子而经历瞬态弛豫造成的．弛豫主要包括非平衡电子越过超微粒子和周围介质的界面位垒进入周围介质，以及非平衡电子同晶格和界面的散射两种过程．超微粒子粒径的差别会引起非平衡电子弛豫时间的差别 关键词：     

Modulation instability induced by cross-phase modulation in a dual-wavelength dispersion-managed soliton fiber ring laser

We report on the observation of the modulation instability induced by cross-phase modulation in a dual-wavelength operation dispersion-managed soliton fiber ring laser with net negative cavity dispersion. The passively mode-locked operation is achieved by using a nonlinear polarization rotation technique. A new type of dual-wavelength operation, where one is femtosecond pulse and the other is picosecond pulse operation, is obtained by properly rotating the polarization controllers. When the dual-wavelength pulses are simultaneously circulating in the laser ring cavity, a series of stable modulation sidebands appears in the picosecond pulse spectrum at longer wavelength with lower peak power due to modulation instability induced by cross-phase modulation between the two lasing wavelengths. Moreover, the intensities and wavelength shifts of the modulation sidebands can be tuned by varying the power of the femtosecond pulse or the lasing central wavelengths of the dual-wavelength pulses. The theoretical analysis of the modulation instability induced by cross-phase modulation in our fiber laser is also presented.     

Nonlinear Dynamics of Circularly Polarized Laser Pulse Propagating in a Magnetized Plasma with q ‐Nonextensive Velocity Distributions

The nonlinear dynamics of a circularly polarized laser pulse propagating in magnetized plasma contains hot nonextensive q ‐distributed electrons and ions is studied theoretically. A nonlinear equation which describes the dynamics of the slowly varying amplitude electromagnetic wave is obtained using the relativistic two‐fluids model. Some nonlinear phenomena include modulational instability, self‐focusing, soliton formation, and longitudinal and transversal evolutions of laser pulse in nonextensive plasma medium are investigated. Results show that the nonextensivity of particles can substantially change the nonlinearity of medium. The external magnetic field enhances the modulation instability growth rate of right‐hand polarization wave but for the left‐hand polarization the growth rate decreases. The spot size of the laser pulse is strongly affected by the plasma nonextensivity. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Interferences of ultrashort free electron wave packets

Interferences of free electron wave packets generated by a pair of identical, time-delayed, femtosecond laser pulses which ionize excited atomic potassium have been observed. Two different schemes are investigated: threshold electrons produced by one-photon ionization with parallel laser polarization and above threshold ionization electrons produced by a two-photon transition with crossed laser polarization. Our results show that the temporal coherence of light pulses is transferred to free electron wave packets, thus opening the door to a whole variety of exciting experiments.     

Characteristic of femtosecond laser-pulsed digital holography

Digital holography can be applied to ultrafast detection when a femtosecond laser pulse is used. In this paper, the interference process of two femtosecond laser pulses is studied and the recording process of the femtosecond laser pulsed digital hologram is simulated. Holograms at different recording angles are generated by integrating the instantaneous interference field. By analyzing the distribution of the reconstructed phase error, the characteristics of femtosecond laser pulsed digital holography are discussed.     

Femtosecond laser-induced microstructure in Foturan glass

We report on the microstructure formation in Foturan glass, induced by 1~kHz, 120 femtosecond laser irradiation. It is found that the line-shaped filamentation, not void array tends to be formed in this glass. This is different from our previous experimental results in fused silica and BK7 glasses. A possible mechanism Ag$^+$ captures the free electrons generated by laser, is proposed to explain the observed phenomena.