3. Photomechanical effect
When a very short laser pulse (nanoseconds and below) is focused on a tissue target, creating high irradiances (of the order of 10 10 to 10 12 W/cm 2 ), it is possible to locally obtain high electric fields (10 6 to 10 7 V/m) comparable to atomic or intramolecular fields. Such fields induce electrical breakdown of the target material resulting in the formation of a plasma. The shockwave associated with plasma expansion generates extremely high pressure waves and consequently mechanical disruption of the tissue structure. This photomechanical effect is generally obtained with Nd:YAG lasers operating in triggered (ns) or phase-locked (ps) modes. In medicine, this...
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Photomechanical effect
Photoablative effect
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