Japanese Journal of Applied Physics · 2003 · 141 citations · 2 references
Natural SciencesBiophysicsBiophotonicsCrystal StructureOpticsCrystal GrowthCrystallization ProcessesCrystallographyLaser PhysicsNucleationUltrafast OpticsCrystal NucleationCrystallizationCrystallization BehaviorCrystallization KineticsCrystallization NucleationFemtosecond Laser PulsesLaser Seed TreatmentProtein Crystallography
We succeeded in the first ever generation of protein crystals by laser irradiation. We call this process Laser Irradiated Growth Technique (LIGHT). Effective crystallization was confirmed by applying an intense femtosecond laser. The crystallization period was dramatically shortened by LIGHT. In addition, protein crystals were obtained by LIGHT from normally uncrystallized conditions. These results indicate that intense femtosecond laser irradiation generates crystal nuclei; protein crystals can then be grown from the nuclei that act as seeds in a supersaturated solution. The nuclei formation is possible primarily due to nonlinear nucleation processes of an intense femtosecond laser with a peak intensity of over a gigawatt (GW).
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