INFLUENCE OF ULTRASOUND ON THE PERCUTANEOUS-ABSORPTION OF NICOTINATE ESTERS

The influence of ultrasound on the percutaneous absorption of three nicotinate esters was investigated in 10 healthy volunteers in a double-blind placebo controlled crossover clinical trial. Using a specially designed experimental protocol, the effect of continuous output ultrasound (at frequency 3.0 MHz and intensity 1.0 W/cm2 for 5 min) on the percutaneous absorption of methyl, ethyl, and hexyl nicotinates, from gel bases, was investigated. A placebo control, involving massage with each of the gels, without ultrasound for 5 min, was also incorporated. The pharmacodynamic parameter of vasodilation caused by the nicotinates was used to monitor the percutaneous absorption of the drugs. Laser Doppler velocimetry, a noninvasive optical technique, was used to measure vasodilation of the cutaneous vessels within the treatment site. Ultrasound treatment led to enhanced vasodilator response to the nicotinates, therefore indicating an enhancement of their percutaneous absorption. These agents may prove to be useful compounds in examination of the mechanism of action of phonophoresis.

Transient pumping of a Ni-like Ag x-ray laser with a subpicosecond pump pulse in a traveling-wave irradiation geometry

We report what is to our knowledge the first demonstration of a transient x-ray laser pumped by a 350-fs pulse in a traveling-wave irradiation geometry. For a 500-fs pump pulse the traveling-wave irradiation was found to have a strong effect on enhancing the Ni-like silver 4d-4p lasing emission at 13.9 nm. The signal enhancement was significantly less when the pulse duration was lengthened to 1.7 ps. The experimental observations are well reproduced by a simple model when the duration of gain is taken of the order of 15-20 ps. For the 500-fs pulse a gain coefficient of 14.5 cm(-1) was measured for plasma lengths up to 7 mm. Refraction of the amplified photons is believed to be the main cause of the limitation of the effective amplification length. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America.

The effects of multi-pulse irradiation on X-ray laser media

Multipulse irradiation with 100 ps pulses of stripe Germanium targets is shown to enhance by up to several orders-of-magnitude the output of Ne-like Ge lasing on the J = 0-1 line at 196 Angstrom compared to single pulse pumping. Various pre-pulse and multipulse configurations have been experimentally investigated for irradiances of approximate to 4 x 10(13) W/cm(2) with a 1.06 mu m wavelength pumping laser. The ionisation balance measured by a KeV crystal spectrometer (KAP crystal) has been found to not affect the X-ray laser output. Good agreement between the experimental results and a fluid code incorporating atomic physics, gain and X-ray beam ray tracing is obtained. The code results show that the enhanced X-ray laser output is produced by multipulse irradiation reducing the electron density gradients in the gain region and simultaneously increasing the gain region spatial size. These changes reduce the effect of refraction on the X-ray laser beam propagation.

Enhanced proton flux in the MeV range by defocused laser irradiation

Thin Al foils (50 nm and 6 mu m) were irradiated at intensities of up to 2x10(19) W cm(-2) using high contrast (10(8)) laser pulses. Ion emission from the rear of the targets was measured using a scintillator-based Thomson parabola and beam sampling 'footprint' monitor. The variation of the ion spectra and beam profile with focal spot size was systematically studied. The results show that while the maximum proton energy is achieved around tight focus for both target thicknesses, as the spot size increases the ion flux at lower energies is seen to peak at significantly increased spot sizes. Measurements of the proton footprint, however, show that the off-axis proton flux is highest at tight focus, indicating that a previously identified proton deflection mechanism may alter the on-axis spectrum. One-dimensional particle-in-cell modelling of the experiment supports our hypothesis that the observed change in spectra with focal spot size is due to the competition of two effects: decrease in laser intensity and an increase in proton emission area.

Effects of front surface plasma expansion on proton acceleration in ultraintense laser irradiation of foil targets

The properties of beams of high energy protons accelerated during ultraintense, picosecond laser-irradiation of thin foil targets are investigated as a function of preplasma expansion at the target front surface. Significant enhancement in the maximum proton energy and laser-to-proton energy conversion efficiency is observed at optimum preplasma density gradients due, to self-focusing Of the incident laser pulse. For very long preplasma expansion, the propagating laser pulse is observed to filament, resulting in highly uniform proton beams, but with reduced flux and maximum energy.