Atoms, Molecules, and Light AMO Science Enabling the Future (2002) / Chapter Skim
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3 AMO Science Improving Health
3 AMO Science Improving Health
Pages 13-20
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From page 13... ...
Fortunately, the surgeon is aware of a new imaging technique that can let a doctor see in acivance which ~ sections of the lungs work and which are diseased This method: If: uses or. gas atoms prepared by a process called optical pumping to visu.a~l~.ize the~functio.nal portions of the lung.
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From page 14... ...
that the excimer laser, a product of years of AMO research, could be used to cut away skin tissue in a much better fashion than previously possible. This type of laser produces light in the ultraviolet region and, as shown in the image below of a cross section of a human aorta after it has been irracliated with an excimer laser, a laser scalpel of this type can produce a well-defined and controllable cut in biological tissue.
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From page 15... ...
In many cases, these technologies come directly from basic research labs, where there are similar exacting requirements for laser performance. One very recent development is the use of ultrafast femtosecond lasers to replace the mechanical blade that cuts the corneal flap.
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From page 16... ...
, is now being developed that promises to dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. OCT uses a bright optical source introduced into an artery by a fiber catheter (the central ring in the left portion of Figure 6~.
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From page 17... ...
For example, if a laser beam can be used to detect labele(1 bases inside of or exiting from a tiny capillary, the enhanced sensitivity allows the detection of smaller amounts of the material of interest. Ultrasensitive optical detection has been the target of research and clevelopment in AMO science for many years, with the original goals being military applications ant} the quest for scientific insight that results from pushing the limits of detection all the way down to single photons from a single molecule (see box"Me~pen"~.
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From page 18... ...
This approach uses the fact that light can pass through tissues in much the same way as light Tom a flashlight passes through one's hand FIGURE 7 New imaging techniques capable of detecting light produced inside a living subject allow observation of the effects of antitumor drugs, antibiotics, or antiviral treatments. The images on the right are scans of living mice that would allow researchers to investigate the effects of various drugs on different parts of the body without having to resort to harmful invasive techniques.
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From page 19... ...
Using this novel approach, it is now possible to observe the effects in the body of antitumor drugs and antibiotic or antiviral treatments. Indeed an ultimate goal is to make the body essentially transparent for meclical diagnostics, and to use a(lvancecl optical tools to uncterstanc3 how pathogens cause disease and how the host organism responds to pathogens and treatments, without having to resort to invasive surgical techniques.
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