Effect of Short Pulse Laser on Organic and Protein Crystal Growth

Abstract

We investigated an effect of intense short pulse laser irradiation on organic and protein crystallization in supersaturated solution. Crystallization of an organic molecule, 4-dimethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) , was observed when an intense YAG laser was irradiated to its supersaturated solution. An effective crystallization of a protein, lysozyme, was confirmed by applying an intense femtosecond laser, although the crystal was not observed with the intense YAG laser irradiation. These results indicate that the nucleation strongly depends on the laser conditions. The crystallization will be promoted by nonlinear phenomena of the femtosecond laser whose peak intensity is over GW.