During these experiments, it was noted that the ablation
produced much more damage to the keratin pellets than to the
nails or filter paper. While five laser pulses in a single location on
nails or filter paper produced damage that was barely visible to the
naked eye, a series of five shots in a single location on the keratin
produced a crater that was clearly visible. Additionally, on the
keratin, the sound that accompanied the plasma formation and the
intensity of the emission signals decreased dramatically over the
course of five pulses. Using scanning electron microscopy,