An experimental study of some optical properties of biological tissues using a low level GaAs diode laser

We studied some characteristics of a pulsed diode laser (IRL1 ISO model produced by BIOMEDICA s.r.l.) commonly used in Low Level Laser Therapy. Using this laser source, we explored some optical properties of biological tissues of various animals. Specifically, we measured the transmitted laser radiation through the investigated tissues in order to evaluate their effective "extinction" coefficients. Furthermore, an improved experimental setup allowed us to determine the higher values of the maximum thickness, through which the power density could still produce a reparative cellular effect, with respect to our previous results [1]. [1] P. Di Giacomo et al., Applied Physics A (in press, 2013) DOI: 10.1007/s00339-012-7204-z