Interaction of red blood cells with arrays of laser-induced cavitation bubbles

Abstract

We use a spatial light modulator (SLM) to simultaneously create several laser-induced cavitation bubbles. The geometry of the bubble array results in different flow patterns during the expansion and collapse of the bubbles. Hence, the induced shear stresses that affect cells are also modified by the geometry. The events are imaged using strobe photography and high speed cameras. In particular we study the deformability of red blood cells due to the shear stresses, since RBC deformability is a potential indicator for several diseases including malaria [1].