Abstract
The Optical Kerr Effect was investigated for the first time in
biological tissues. This nonlinear optical effect was explored in both
human brain and avian breast tissues using a time-resolved femtosecond
pump-probe Optical Kerr Gate. The Optical Kerr Effect describes the
nonlinear change in a material’s refractive index in response to an
electric field. It is fundamental to spectral effects that are commonly
used in biological science. The tested tissues produced a unique
ultrafast (700-800 fs) doubled peaked Kerr signal, which is indicative
of temporal interplay between the different components (electronic
plasma, and molecular) that make up the Kerr index. Temporal properties
varied between samples suggesting that this method could be used as a
new diagnostic. Understanding this Kerr behavior can help improve
current spectral diagnostic techniques, such as SRS, and potentially
create a new Kerr based biopsy method for the detection of diseased
tissues, such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.