The plasma existing during laser ablation (in vitro/in vivo) can be analyzed spectrally in real time. From the spectra, one can pinpoint high/low levels of element concentrations within the tooth matrix. Thus, this analysis could be used to monitor the ablation of material during laser dental treatment.

Using a femtosecond laser‐based technique, spectrochemical analysis of leaf samples is demonstrated. The study is exemplified for Fe. Standard reference concentrations – internal standards – of Fe in the two leaf samples were measured using the method of Relaxation Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging. From the spectra obtained using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy technique, spatial distribution of Fe within the leaf was identified. Thus, this technique could potentially be used as a complementary technique for identification of storage and trafficking of iron ions within different plant compartments. In particular, individual plant cells can be investigated without collateral damage with high spatial distribution. (© 2006 by Astro, Ltd. Published exclusively by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA)

The existence of resonant enhanced transmission and collimation of light waves by subwavelength slits in metal films [for example, see T.W. Ebbesen et al., Nature (London) 391, 667 (1998) and H.J. Lezec et al., Science, 297, 820 (2002)] leads to the basic question: Can a light be enhanced and simultaneously localized in space and time by a subwavelength slit? To address this question, the spatial distribution of the energy flux of an ultrashort (femtosecond) wave-packet diffracted by a subwavelength (nanometer-size) slit was analyzed by using the conventional approach based on the Neerhoff and Mur solution of Maxwell's equations. The results show that a light can be enhanced by orders of magnitude and simultaneously localized in the near-field diffraction zone at the nmand fs-scales. Possible applications in nanophotonics are discussed.

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