Thesis (Ph. D. in Physics)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2008. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Mar. 5, 2009). PDF text: 97 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 3.12 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3331445. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

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The mechanical tools currently used in orthopedic and dental surgery are imprecise and may cause heat damage. Ultrashort pulse lasers are a promising replacement, but their ablation efficiency must be improved. The goal of this thesis was to achieve high ablation efficiency, precision, and minimal collateral damage using an ultrafast laser on bovine hard tissue. This work used two types of lasers: a Ti:Sapphire laser (210 fs, 800 nm, 1 kHz) and a fiber laser (1 ps, 1035 nm, 100 kHz - 1 MHz). This thesis begins with a review of the literature on laser-tissue interactions and the effect of certain laser parameters on the ablation process. The next section uses a Ti:Sapphire laser and bovine bone to explore the properties of laser-tissue interactions, including ablation threshold and incubation coefficient. Results showed that as the number of incident pulses goes up, ablation threshold goes down. The threshold range went from 1.08 ± 0.15 J/cm2 at 25 incident pulses to 0.73 ± 0.12 J/cm2 at 1000 pulses. The incubation coefficient, S, was calculated to be 0.90 ± 0.02. The relationship between ablation depth and fluence, scanning speed, and number of successive passes was characterized as a first step towards preparing large-cavity with high removal efficiency using a Ti:Sapphire and fiber lasers. Depth increased with fluence and number of passes, but it decreased with scanning speed. The influence of environmental conditions including air, compressed air flow, still water and flowing water on cavity ablation depth, and rate was investigated using a Ti:Sapphire laser with aim to enhance ablation efficiency. Findings showed that the deepest cavities and fastest ablation rates were achieved with compressed air flow. Air flow also resulted in the most precise cuts, the smoothest surfaces, and the absence of microcracks. This thesis also used a fiber laser to explore the effect of fluence and repetition rate on removal rate and ablation quality. Results indicated that ablation rate increases with fluence and pulse rate. When the repetition rate exceeded 600 kHz, the laser caused thermal and mechanical damage, indicated by the presence of amorphous carbon. The effect of environmental conditions and laser parameters such as repetition rate provide valuable insights into the ultrafast laser ablation mechanisms for medicine and biology field. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

The applicability of the technique of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to the analysis of geological samples was investigated using a variety of sample introduction techniques including: solution nebulisation; slurry nebulisation; flow injection; electrothermal vaporisation; and laser ablation, Solution sample introduction is limited by the amount of time required to prepare the sample, and the relative intolerance of the technique to high concentrations of sample matrix. The maximum level of dissolved solids for a refractory matrix such as a digested igneous rock was found to be 0.2% w/v. Good accuracy and precision are achievable. Acceptable results can be obtained using slurry nebulisation. However, standardisation is a problem due to the difference in response for aqueous and slurried analytes. Calibration against aqueous standards and the use of an internal standard is therefore precluded. In addition, the preparation of stable slurries is a highly skilled and time consuming task. Flow injection analysis offers the most benefit to the geochemical analyst. Flow injection was found to increase sample throughput and, more important, to improve matrix tolerance by a factor of l0x, thus allowing the direct determination of the platinum group elements and gold in geological samples without pretreatment. Small samples, such as fluid inclusion leachates can also be analysed without dilution and the matrix effects experienced when analysing samples containing high salt concentrations can be reduced by careful control of dispersion. The potential for increased detection limits by electrothermal vaporisation was not proved for geological materials due to the same matrix tolerance problems which limit detection limits in solution work. Laser ablation sampling allows direct analysis of the solid but quantitation requires matrix matched standards or independent variable internal standardisation, limiting the applicability of the technique for bulk screening. The use of laser ablation to analyse trace element concentrations in individual mineral grains has been investigated and partition coefficients for trace elements, including the rare earths in a large zoned pyroxene crystal, were determined.