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Published April 1, 1996 | public
Journal Article

Biological laser action

Abstract

The narrowing of the spectral linewidth and the increasing of the peak intensity characteristic of laser action were observed in emission spectra of dye-infused biological tissues. The tissue was infused with a solution of Rhodamine 640 perchlorate in ethanol and then excited with frequency-doubled Q-switched Nd:YAG laser pulses. The dependence of emission linewidth on the excitation radiant exposure and dye concentration was investigated. Laser action was also observed in biologically compatible fluorescein sodium dye dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline mixed with scattering polystyrene spheres. The sharp spectral peaks of laser action in tissues may find applications in the detection of superficial disease.

Additional Information

© 1996 Optical Society of America. Received 24 April 1995; revised manuscript received 23 August 1995. Thanks to L. Eppich for proofreading the manuscript. N. He, currently a student at Cornell University, thanks the C. B. & F. E. King's Foundation for supporting her summer program in our institution. The project was sponsored in part by The Whitaker Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Department of Energy.

Additional details

Created:
August 20, 2023
Modified:
October 20, 2023