Evaluation of mechanical behavior of soft tissue by means of random laser emission

We demonstrate the use of random laser emission for mechanical testing of bovine pericardium. An apparatus designed for tensile tests of soft and thin materials, incorporating optical and mechanical devices, allows for obtaining the mechanical behavior of the tissue samples. Using both, digital image correlation (DIC) and random laser emission analysis, the apparatus provides information regarding the response of the bovine pericardium under different stress levels. Our results show that changes in the spectral features of the random laser correlate well to the mechanical response obtained with conventional uniaxial tensile analysis coupled with DIC. Furthermore, parameters such as the shear and Young moduli are consistent with values reported previously and obtained with other techniques. Changes at the microstructural level of the tissue may thus be evaluated through spectral analysis of the random laser emission from biological samples.