title: Plasma and cavitation dynamics during pulsed laser microsurgery in vivo.
abstract: We compare the plasma and cavitation dynamics underlying pulsed laser microsurgery in water and in fruit fly embryos (in vivo)--specifically for nanosecond pulses at 355 and 532 nm. We find two key differences. First, the plasma-formation thresholds are lower in vivo--especially at 355 nm--due to the presence of endogenous chromophores that serve as additional sources for plasma seed electrons. Second, the biological matrix constrains the growth of laser-induced cavitation bubbles. Both effects reduce the disrupted region in vivo when compared to extrapolations from measurements in water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics & Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #351807, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1807, USA. shane.hutson@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: M Shane
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hutson
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D053685:Laser Therapy; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008866:Microsurgery