Fotoacústica: estudiar la materia escuchando la luz
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20983/cienciavital.2025.03.bas.02Palabras clave:
Fototérmica, Termofísica, CalorResumen
El efecto fotoacústico ocurre cuando la luz es absorbida por un material y provoca pequeños cambios de temperatura y vibraciones que se transforman en sonido detectable mediante sensores. Este fenómeno, descubierto en el siglo XIX, ha cobrado gran relevancia gracias al desarrollo de nuevas tecnologías que permiten aprovecharlo en distintos campos. En este artículo se explica de manera sencilla cómo se origina el efecto fotoacústico y se muestran ejemplos de sus aplicaciones en áreas tan diversas como la medicina, donde se utiliza para obtener imágenes no invasivas de tejidos, la agricultura, para mejorar la calidad de los cultivos y alimentos, o el medio ambiente, al facilitar la detección de contaminantes en el aire y el agua. Más allá del interés científico, la fotoacústica representa una herramienta prometedora con beneficios directos para la salud, la industria y el cuidado del entorno.
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Derechos de autor 2025 Ing. Francisco Javier Castillo Romero, Dr. José de Jesús Agustin Flores Cuautle, Dr. Oscar Osvaldo Sandoval González, Dra. Gemima Lara Hernández

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