Cross-Sectioning Crickets With A Femtosecond Laser

Ben Krasnow demonstrates using a femtosecond laser inside a scanning electron microscope to cut cross-sections of crickets for imaging. Unlike conventional lasers, femtosecond lasers ablate material without heating surroundings, preserving sample integrity. The crickets were prepared through glutaraldehyde fixation, solvent exchange to remove water, and charring under argon to make them conductive. The laser and scanning galvo are mounted outside the microscope and shine through a window, with a servo-controlled aluminum shutter protecting the detector during ablation. A puzzling noise issue was traced to the painted shutter accumulating charged carbon particles, forming a capacitor that disrupted electron optics. After resolving this and other issues, time-lapse videos were captured showing the laser removing 30-micron layers to reveal the insects' internal structure.

Nguồn: https://hackaday.com/2026/07/18/cross-sectioning-crickets-with-a-femtosecond-laser. 8sync News chỉ tóm tắt và dẫn link; bản quyền nội dung thuộc tác giả và nguồn gốc.