Characterization and application of bubbles during thermal blooming

Ujitha Abeywickrema; Neil Banerjee

doi:10.1117/12.2063182

25 September 2014 Characterization and application of bubbles during thermal blooming

Ujitha Abeywickrema, Neil Banerjee

Proceedings Volume 9194, Laser Beam Shaping XV; 91940H (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2063182
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2014, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

When a highly absorbing thermal medium is heated with a focused laser pump beam, diffraction ring patterns can be observed due to self-phase modulation. It is further observed that when the laser power increases, the usual self-phase modulation diffraction patterns change due to formation of a bubble inside the thermal lens created by the focused beam. This phenomenon, called thermal blooming, is the next step to selfphase modulation. A stable bubble is formed using a focused laser beam, and the bubble is characterized using holograms made with a probe beam. A 532 nm Argon-Ion laser is used as the pump and a 633 nm low power He-Ne laser is used as the probe. The thermal medium comprises a mixture of a red dye and isopropyl alcohol. To minimize the optical effects arising from convection, the focused pump is introduced vertically into the liquid sample. The recorded in-line holograms are numerically reconstructed to determine the size and 3d shape of the bubbles. Bubble sizes are monitored as a function of the pump intensity. Once formed, the bubbles can be steered by mechanically deflecting the pump beam or any other laser beam. Finally, Ag nanoparticles are fabricated, examined, and introduced into the thermal medium. The presence of nanoparticle agglomeration around the thermally generated bubbles is tested using a focused probe beam at 405 nm corresponding to the absorption peak of the Ag nanoparticles due to plasmonic resonance. This technique should prove useful in drug delivery systems using nanoparticles agglomerated around microbubbles.

Citation Download Citation

Ujitha Abeywickrema and Neil Banerjee "Characterization and application of bubbles during thermal blooming", Proc. SPIE 9194, Laser Beam Shaping XV, 91940H (25 September 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2063182

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available