Finite Element Analysis of Photoacoustic Response from Gold Nanoparticle

Y. Davletshin[1], J. C. Kumaradas[1]
[1]Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
Published in 2013

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging has matured into a clinical modality for tissue imaging and functional cancer cell research. It uses a pulsed laser to irradiate a region and generate a thermally-induced acoustic pressure wave that can be collected by an ultrasound transducer. The optical absorption/PA contrast of the region of interest can be enhanced by the use of plasmonic nanoparticles. The software COMSOL Multiphysics® is used to model PA behavior of plasmonic nanoparticles. The model couples the following: the electromagnetic (RF) wave equation, transient heat transfer with a heat source that incorporates characteristics of the laser pulse and optical properties of the particle, and an acoustic pressure wave propagation that was generated by thermal expansion of the particle’s surrounding.