A project group from Heriot-Watt University Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences (IPaQS) and the University of Edinburgh has studied the use of deep-UV ultrashort pulse lasers for surgical tissue ablation.
Such sources are already employed in ophthalmology, for example during LASIK surgery where an excimer laser removes corneal tissue with sub-micron precision.

But even though deep-UV sources can offer the highest axial precision and reduced collateral damage during ablation, their application for ablating soft tissues apart from the cornea remains unde…