Dynamics of picosecond laser ablation for surgical treatment of colorectal cancer.

Endoluminal surgery for the treatment of colorectal neoplasia is typically carried out using electrocautery tools which imply limited precision and the risk of harm through collateral thermal damage to the adjacent healthy tissue. As a potential alternative, we present the successful colonic epithelial laser ablation by means of picosecond laser pulses. Laser ablation studies performed in ex-vivo colon tissue result in cavities with comparable thickness to early stage colorectal cancers. The corresponding histology sections exhibit only minimal collateral damage to the surrounding tissue and the depth of the ablation can be controlled precisely by means of the pulse energy. High-speed imaging has been used for the first time to visualize picosecond laser ablation of cancerous tissue in a clinically relevant model. This information was correlated with histopathology and optical surface profilometry revealing the dynamic nature of the laser tissue interaction and the need for temporal or spatial separation of pulses for optimum efficacy with regards to tissue removal. Overall, the application of picosecond laser pulses to ablate endoluminal bowel lesions demonstrates significantly improved precision and reduced thermal damage to the adjacent tissue in comparison to conventional procedures and hence will enable more precise surgical treatment of cancers.

Flexible delivery of Er:YAG radiation at 2.94 µm with negative curvature silica glass fibers: a new solution for minimally invasive surgical procedures.

We present the delivery of high energy microsecond pulses through a hollow-core negative-curvature fiber at 2.94 µm. The energy densities delivered far exceed those required for biological tissue manipulation and are of the order of 2300 J/cm(2). Tissue ablation was demonstrated on hard and soft tissue in dry and aqueous conditions with no detrimental effects to the fiber or catastrophic damage to the end facets. The energy is guided in a well confined single mode allowing for a small and controllable focused spot delivered flexibly to the point of operation. Hence, a mechanically and chemically robust alternative to the existing Er:YAG delivery systems is proposed which paves the way for new routes for minimally invasive surgical laser procedures.

Delivery of high energy Er:YAG pulsed laser light at 2.94 µm through a silica hollow core photonic crystal fibre.

In this paper the delivery of high power Er:YAG laser pulses through a silica hollow core photonic crystal fibre is demonstrated. The Er:YAG wavelength of 2.94 µm is well beyond the normal transmittance of bulk silica but the unique hollow core guidance allows silica to guide in this regime. We have demonstrated for the first time the ability to deliver high energy pulses through an all-silica fibre at 2.94 µm. These silica fibres are mechanically and chemically robust, biocompatible and have low sensitivity to bending. A maximum pulse energy of 14 mJ at 2.94 µm was delivered through the fibre. This, to our knowledge, is the first time a silica hollow core photonic crystal fibre has been shown to transmit 2.94 µm laser light at a fluence exceeding the thresholds required for modification (e.g. cutting and drilling) of hard biological tissue. Consequently, laser delivery systems based on these fibres have the potential for the realization of novel, minimally-invasive surgical procedures.

Mid-infrared methane detection in a photonic bandgap fiber using a broadband optical parametric oscillator.

We demonstrate methane sensing using a photonic bandgap fiber-based gas cell and broadband idler pulses from a periodically-poled lithium niobate femtosecond optical parametric oscillator. The hollow core of the fiber was filled with a methane:nitrogen mixture, and Fourier transform spectroscopy was used to measure transmission spectra in the 3.15-3.35 mum methane absorption region. The method has applications in gas sensing for remote or hazardous environments and potentially at very low concentrations.

Frequency-doubling in femtosecond laser inscribed periodically-poled potassium titanyl phosphate waveguides.

Frequency doubling has been achieved in femtosecond-laser-inscribed single-mode waveguides written in two periodically-poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystals. A conversion efficiency of 0.22 %W(1) was obtained for first-order quasi-phase matching at 980 nm and an efficiency of 0.02 %W(-1) for third-order quasi-phase matching at 800 nm.

Analysis of optical damage mechanisms in hollow-core waveguides delivering nanosecond pulses from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.

Hollow-core waveguides consisting of a glass capillary tube with an internal reflective coating are capable of delivering pulse energies of tens of millijoules with improved focusability compared to step index fibers of similar core diameter. We demonstrate the capability of these fibers to deliver high-power Q-switched pulses at the fundamental (1064 nm), second (532 nm), and third (355 nm) harmonics of a Nd:YAG laser, both in terms of peak power and beam quality delivered. In terms of peak power delivery, the primary limitation is the occurrence of bend-induced optical damage to the reflective coating. The damage mechanism and the influential factors are analyzed, in particular, the dependence upon the number of guided modes, core diameter, coating thicknesses, and input polarization alignment.

Real-time, nonintrusive oxidation detection system for the welding of reactive aerospace materials.

We describe the development of a real-time nonintrusive monitor to detect degradation of a gas shield condition during laser welding by use of on-axis spectrally resolved detection of light emitted from the workpiece. Failure of gas shielding to the point at which there is a risk of contamination from the air is revealed by the marked increase in the intensity of a spectral feature around 426 nm. To avoid unwanted sensitivity to the overall intensity of the radiation, the intensity at 426 nm is normalized by that at 835 nm, where the spectrum is insensitive to gas shielding. We collected the radiation by using the same optics as are used to deliver the processing beam, and thus the detection process is entirely nonintrusive. We demonstrate successful operation for welding stainless steel and titanium under both helium and argon gas shielding.

Preparation of Fiber Optics for the Delivery of High-Energy High-Beam-Quality Nd:YAG Laser Pulses.

Recent improvements in design have made it possible to build Nd:YAG lasers with both high pulse energy and high beam quality. These lasers are particularly suited for percussion drilling of holes of as much as 1-mm diameter thick (a few millimeters) metal parts. An example application is the production of cooling holes in aeroengine components for which 1-ms duration, 30-J energy laser pulses produce holes of sufficient quality much more efficiently than with a laser trepanning process. Fiber optic delivery of the laser beam would be advantageous, particularly when one is processing complex three-dimensional structures. However, lasers for percussion drilling are available only with conventional bulk-optic beam delivery because of laser-induced damage problems with the small-diameter (approximately 200-400-mum) fibers that would be required for preserving necessary beam quality. We report measurements of beam degradation in step-index optical fibers with an input beam quality corresponding to an M(2) of 22. We then show that the laser-induced damage threshold of 400-mum core-diameter optical fibers can be increased significantly by a CO(2) laser treatment step following the mechanical polishing routine. This increase in laser-induced damage threshold is sufficient to propagate 25-J, 1-ms laser pulses with a 400-mum core-diameter optical fiber and an output M(2) of 31.

Beam quality after propagation of Nd:YAG laser light through large-core optical fibers.

Laser beam characteristics are altered during propagation through large-core optical fibers. The distribution of modes excited by the input laser beam is modified by means of mode coupling on transmission through the fiber, leading to spatial dispersion of the profile and, ultimately and unavoidably, to degradation in the quality of the delivered beam unless the beam is spatially filtered with consequent power loss. Furthermore, a mismatch between the intensity profile of a typical focused high-power laser beam and the profile of the step-index fiber gives rise to additional beam-quality degradation. Modern materials processing applications demand ever higher delivered beam qualities (as measured by a parameter such as M(2)) to achieve greater machining precision and efficiency, a demand that is currently in conflict with the desire to utilize the convenience and flexibility of large-core fiber-optic beam delivery. We present a detailed experimental investigation of the principal beam-quality degradation effects associated with fiber-optic beam delivery and use numerical modeling to aid an initial discussion of the causes of such degradation.

Transient deformation measurement with electronic speckle pattern interferometry and a high-speed camera.

To the best of our knowledge, transient deformations have been measured in real time with microsecond temporal resolution for the first time with speckle pattern interferometry. The short exposure period and high framing rate of a high-speed camera at as many as 40,500 frames per second allow low-power continuous-wave laser illumination and fiber-optic beam delivery to be used. We have applied the technique to measure both harmonic vibration and transient deformation.

Single-Mode Fiber Delivery of Nd:YAG Light for Precision Machining Applications.

We describe the use of single-mode fibers to deliver moderate-power Nd:YAG light for precision machining at peak powers of approximately 225 W in 0.1-ms pulses. An example application is demonstrated: the cutting of 0.05- and 0.2-mm-thick stainless steel sheet with kerf widths and feature sizes as small as 30 mum.

Optical sensor to monitor and control temperature and build height of the laser direct-casting process.

A nonintrusive optical sensor system is applied to real-time process control of the recently developed laser direct-casting process, in which a stream of metal powder is introduced into the beam of a high-power (500-W) cw laser to fabricate complex three-dimensional structures. The sensor system allows two critical parameters, temperature and build height, associated with this process to be monitored and controlled continuously. We achieved a height-sensing resolution of ?0.25 mm and temperature control with a resolution of ?10 degrees C at a typical working temperature of 1500 degrees C with an evident improvement in process quality, especially for complex workpieces comprising relatively high, thin walls at which the conductive heat transfer varies substantially as the process proceeds.

Focus control system for laser welding.

We describe a focus control system for Nd:YAG laser welding based on an optical sensor incorporated into the fiber delivery system to detect light generated by the process. This broadband light is separated into two wavelength bands, and simple electronic processing gives a signal proportional to focal error as a result of chromatic aberrations in the optical delivery system. Focus control is demonstrated for bead-on-plate welds in different thicknesses of titanium alloy, aluminum alloy, mild steel, and stainless steel. The control system works for both pulsed and continuous laser radiation.

Optical fiber interferometry for photoacoustic spectroscopy in liquids.

Optical fiber interferometry was used for measurement of the subnanometer surface and bulk displacements associated with photoacoustic pressure waves in methanol and water. The measurement system is both broadband and noncontacting, giving a pressure sensitivity of 0.1 Pa/ radicalHz.

Solitary thermal shock waves and optical damage in optical fibers: the fiber fuse.

Fresh experimental and theoretical results on thermally induced catastrophic breakdown (the fiber fuse) in optical fibers are presented, including the observation that the damage is not always irreversible and an analysis of the complex unsteady absorption-heat-conduction process that controls the effect. Good agreement with experiment is obtained with just two independent parameters. The analysis shows that the fiber fuse is a new kind of solitary thermal shock wave in whose leading edge the temperature gradients can reach several thousand kelvins per micrometer.