We review our recently obtained data on the employment of Si nanoparticles as sensitizers of radiofrequency (RF) - induced hyperthermia for mild cancer therapy tasks. Such an approach makes possible the heating of aqueous suspensions of Si nanoparticles by tens of degrees Celsius under relatively low intensities (1–5 W/cm2) of 27 MHz RF radiation. The heating effect is demonstrated for nanoparticles synthesized by laser ablation in water and mechanical grinding of porous silicon, while laser-ablated nanoparticles demonstrate a remarkably higher heating rate than porous silicon-based ones for the whole range of the used concentrations. The observed RF heating effect can be explained in the frame of a model considering the polarization of Si NPs and electrolyte in the external oscillating electromagnetic field and the corresponding release of heat by electric currents around the nanoparticles. Our tests evidence relative safety of Si nanostructures and their efficient dissolution in physiological solutions, suggesting potential clearance of nanoparticles from a living organism without any side effects. Profiting from Si nanoparticle-based heating, we finally demonstrate an efficient treatment of Lewis Lung carcinoma in vivo. The obtained data promise a breakthrough in the development of mild, non-invasive methods for cancer therapy.
We examine absorption of electromagnetic radio-frequency (RF) radiation in aqueous suspensions of semiconductor (silicon) and metal (gold) nanoparticles (NPs) and theoretically investigate the heat release in these systems. The absorption of RF radiation is considered in both bulk electrolyte and the region around the NPs. Simulations show a strong dependence of the heating rate on electrical conductivity of the electrolyte rather than on that of NPs properties. The obtained results indicate that NPs can act as sensitizers of the RF induced hyperthermia for biomedical applications.
The sensitivity of optoacoustic (OA) detection in diluted suspensions of gold nanoparticles under irradiation with nanosecond laser pulses was studied as a function of incident laser fluence. The range of moderate values of the laser fluence from 20 mJ/cm2 to 2 J/cm2 was studied theoretically and experimentally. Under these laser fluences, the usual thermoelastic mechanism of OA generation faces competition from laser-induced cavitation, a statistical process, which leads to considerable fluctuations of the acoustic response from one laser pulse to another. Analytical expressions for the statistical characteristics of the acoustic signal were obtained. A simulation of the statistical characteristics of the cavitation contribution to the signal was performed using the method of Monte Carlo. The experiment utilized the second harmonic pulses (532 nm) of an Nd:YAG laser to irradiate samples of water suspensions of spherical gold nanoparticles (NPs). A series of laser pulses each having from 100 to 2000 pulses were used to iradiate the samples. The statistical rank distributions of the magnitudes of optoacoustic signals recorded by a wide band ultrasonic transducer attached to the measurement cell were used as a tool for sensitive detection of a low concentration of the gold nanoparticles in water.
It is shown that heating of electrons due to the inverse bremsstrahlung absorption of high-power short-pulse laser radiation results in parametric generation of ion-acoustic waves. The range of wave numbers where the amplitude of the ion-acoustic oscillations increases by more than an order of magnitude is determined.
Nonlinear plasma effects important for femtosecond-scale heating dynamics are considered. It is shown that heating of electrons due to the inverse bremsstrahlung absorption of high-power short-pulse laser radiation results in parametric generation of ion-acoustic waves. The range of wave numbers where the amplitude of the ion-acoustic oscillations in-creases by more than an order of magnitude is determined. A self-similar description of electron and phonon kinetics in metals with a sharp gradient of the electron temperature is developed. It is shown that the Cherenkov generation of nonequilibrium phonons results in suppression of the electron heat flux and rapid disintegration of the metal lattice.
Laser ablation of metals by femto- and picosecond pulses is analytically and numerically studied within the framework of different models for the ablated material. Within the plasma model ablation is initiated by high-power thermal and hydrodynamic waves which propagate into the irradiated material. Analytical expressions for the thermal ablation and for the ablation by the shock wave are obtained. Numerical simulations with the computer code RAPID are in a good agreement with analytical results.
Different regimes of heat propagation in metals irradiated by subpicosecond laser pulses are studied on the basis of two-temperature diffusion model. New analytical solutions for the heat conduction equation, corresponding to the different temperature dependences of the electron thermal conductivity (formula available n paper), are found. It is shown that in case of a strong electron-lattice nonequilibrium, the heat penetration depth grows linearly with time, lT varies direct as t, in opposite to the ordinary diffusionlike behavior, lT varies direct as t1/2. Moreover, the heat propagation velocity decreases with increasing laser fluence.
Thermal ablation of a metal surface by low-energy ultrashort laser pulses is considered theoretically. The temporal dynamics of the surface electron and lattice temperatures is studied within the framework of the two-temperature model and for different temperature dependencies of the characteristics of the metal (electron-relaxation time, heat capacity, thermal conductivity). The approximation of evaporation into a vacuum is used to determine the ablation depth. Analytical expressions for the ablation-threshold fluence Fth as well as the threshold values of the lattice temperature Tth(Fth) and the characteristic time of lattice temperature decay td(Fth) are obtained. This analytical description is in satisfactory agreement with particular numerical calculations.
The generation of ion-acoustic waves in metals irradiated by ultrashort laser pulses is studied. It is shown that non- equilibrium ion-acoustic oscillations lead to an anomalous increase of the effective electron collision frequency and fast melting of metals.
The propagation of an intense femtosecond pulse in a Raman-active medium is analyzed. An analytic solution which describes in explicit form the evolution of the light pulse is derived. The field of an intense light wave undergoes a substantial transformation as the wave propagates through the medium. The nature of this transformation can change over time scales comparable to the period of the optical oscillations. As a result, the pulse of sufficiently high energy divides into stretched and compressed domains where the field decreases and increases respectively.
The results of analytical and numerical investigation of the propagation of space-limited ultrashort (pulse duration is shorter than all the relaxation times and the time scale of the medium response) light pulse in Raman-active media are represented. This process shown reveals a number of novel specific features. It is found that at definite pulse energy the self- induced focusing is replaced by the self-induced defocusing which is again followed by the selffocusing. As a result a light channel which consists of a train of moving focuses occurs on the light beam axis. The rate of self-induced focusing and defocusing processes for this propagation regime is inversely proportional to the pulse field intensity, which is contrary to the conventional selffocusing theory.
A novel mechanism for efficient high harmonics generation is proposed based on the self- scattering of powerful femtosecond light pulse in the Raman-active medium. Within the framework of the closed self-consistent model the pulse field electrodynamics are investigated, a simple analytical formula for the spectrum generated is derived. The 'plateau' effect and the sharp cutoff of harmonic spectrum are predicted. Unlike the case of rare gases, the spectrum generated is found to be tuned by the variation of input ultrashort pulse intensity.
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