Nonlinear optical effects of near-IR femtosecond laser radiation on the morphology and structure of a nerve cell in the field of an optical trap

Yu. V. Barbashov, A. D. Zalesskii, M. A. Berezutskaya, G. V. Maksimov, A. B. Rubin, O. M. Sarkisov and V. A. Nadtochenko

Changes in the morphology and structure of a neuron cell in the process of manipulating it with an femtosecond laser tweezers operating at a wavelength of 800 nm are examined. The changes in the morphology and structure are caused by the nonlinear optical absorption and multiphoton excitation of cell biomacromolecules by femtosecond pulses of light. The cell nucleus is demonstrated to be destroyed by focused femtosecond laser radiation (FLR). Changes in the state of the cytoplasmic nucleoproteins and the hydrophobicity of the plasmatic membrane under the action of FLR focused inside the cell are observed. By the example of the simultaneous displacement of the neuron with a cw laser and cutting of a neuron with FLR, the operation of holographic optical manipulator and a scalpel based on the use of femtosecond and cw lasers is considered. The possibility of the simultaneous microsurgical operation with several optical foci of FLR is demonstrated.

DOI