Studies of acoustical and shock waves in the pulsed laser ablation of biotissue

Quantitative studies are conducted into the absolute pressure values of the acoustical and shock waves generated and propagating in a biotissue under pulsed (τ_P = 50 ns) UV (λ = 308 nm) laser irradiation (below and above the ablation threshold). Powerful (several hundreds of bars in pressure) high‐frequency (f ≃ 10⁷ Hz) acoustic compression and rarefaction pulses are found to be generated in the biotissue. The amplitudes and profiles of the acoustic pulses developing in atherosclerotic human aorta tissues and an aqueous CuCl₂ solution under laser irradiation are investigated as a function of the laser pulse energy fluence. The results obtained point to the absence of the cold spallation of the objects of study by rarefaction waves. Based on experimental data, the rise rates, pressure gradients, and propagation velocities of shock waves in the biotissue are calculated. The experimental data are found to agree well with the theoretical estimates. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.