Scientists at FCUP (the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Porto) have developed a method of measuring with “enormous precision” ultra intense laser impulses which could, they believe, be very useful in the treatment of cancers.
A massive leap from traditional forms of treatment which can harm good cells as well as bad, the research involved collaboration with scientists in universities in Germany and the United Kingdom.
Published today in the Optica magazine, produced by The Optical Society, the gist of the findings are that ultra-intense lasers are able to “accelerate protons and produce radioactive isotopes” applied in therapies to combat cancers.
Says lead investigator Helder Crespo, the new technique works like a form of magnifying glass so that “extreme phenomenon” can be seen (and dealt with). It’s a way of “touching fire without being burnt”, he added.
