Research Project
6792971
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): An extensive research spent identifies, clinically significant contexts, effort have been to within various the wavelengths and wavelength ranges that optimize the interaction of laser radiation and human tissues. In this, Free Electron Lasers (FELs) have played and continue to play a major role. The results of several recent FEL studies have indicated that under certain pulsed conditions 6.45mu m radiation is ideal for the iablation and precise excision of nearly all soft tissue. To date the only useful source of high energy 6.45mu m radiation remains a facility-sized FEL. Here Light Age proposes to develop a simpler, solid-state laser source able to provide the same desirable tissue ablation characteristics of the FEL's at 6.45mu m but in vastly more "clinically friendly" and affordable format. In this, we plan to exploit a convergence of certain optical technologies we have pioneered: the broadly tunable, solid-state, clinically proven alexandrite laser; robust, commercially and clinically practical recirculating Raman converters; and the largely under-recognized and presently uncommercialized technique of intra-cavity Raman conversion (ICR). We discuss how the proposed approach surmounts certain classic problems in generating 6.45mu m light at power levels deemed requisite for optimal clinical efficacy. The result of this work will be a new tool for medical research that permits more widespread clinical studies to be conducted and, upon conclusive evaluation, can gracefully enter and adapt to the general clinical environment.
