Cellular response to far infrared radiation*

Previous studies have indicated selective biological cell damage due to local rapid thermalization [1] effects induced by laser irradiation. We have studied the effects of intense pulsed laser radiation on the prokaryote S. cerevisiae and eukaryote E. coli. These species are comparable to either cells found in the human body or pathogenic cells, respectively. We obtained the optical absorption spectra for the cells, and found frequency bands in the far-infrared (FIR/THz) range where notable spectral differences emerge. We report results of strong laser illumination at these selected bands.

[1]C.P. Lin, M.W. Kelly, S.A.B. Sibayan, M.A. Latina, R.R. Anderson. IEEE Journal of Sel. Top. in Quantum Electronics, 5, 963–968 (1999)