<title>Laser mass-ablation efficiency measurements indicate bubble-driven dynamics dominate laser thrombolysis</title>

Abstract

Mass removal experiments have been performed at the Oregon Medical Laser Center with 10 to 100 mJ 1 {micro}s laser pulses at optical wavelengths. Above the energy threshold for bubble formation, the laser mass ablation efficiency ({micro}g/mJ) for removal of gel surrogate thrombus is nearly constant for a given experimental geometry and gel absorption coefficient. The efficiency in contact experiments, in which the optical fiber delivering the energy is in close proximity to the absorbing gel, is approximately three times that of non-contact experiments, in which the optical fiber is {approximately}1 mm from the gel. Mass removal occurs hundreds of microseconds after the laser deposition. Experimental data and numerical simulations are consistent with the hypothesis that jet formation during bubble collapse plays a dominant role in mass removal. This hypothesis suggests a model in which the mass removed scales linearly with the maximum bubble volume and explains the distinctive features, including the magnitude, of the mass removal.