{
  "abstract": "Continuous-wave lasers are generally not considered for applications demanding precision ablation, because sustained heating in bulk tissue causes extensive thermal damage. Here we show that this limitation does not apply to thin sections: a 2.91 µm continuous-wave laser leaves no resolvable heat-affected zone beyond the ablation track on 10 µm thick cryosections, a confinement consistent with heat sinking vertically into the glass slide rather than diffusing laterally. This defines a distinct sampling regime in which confined material removal by a continuous-wave mid-infrared laser preserves the sample morphology for post-hoc staining and optical imaging while generating a laminar plume well suited for aspiration into the atmospheric inlet of a mass spectrometer. Here we demonstrate matrix-free ambient mass spectrometry imaging at 3 µm pixel size with a fibre-delivered beam, uniting few micron scale sampling, broad chemical coverage, and same-section co-registration on a readily adoptable platform assembled entirely from commercial components.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, United Kingdom, SW7 2BW",
    "Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, United Kingdom, W12 0NN",
    "Institute for Multimodal Imaging of Intercellular Communication",
    "Universität Regensburg",
    "Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, EH14 4AS"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "William J. C. Francis"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Milena Micic"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lucy Noyes"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "David Blair"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Anna Chauvet"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lauren Ford"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Stefania Maneta-Stavrakaki"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Dániel Simon"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ioannis Bitharas"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Zoltan Takáts"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Robert T. Murray",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3514-8374"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rz87g9evh0yr.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010015/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "0rz87g9evh0yr",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010015/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1607|Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220857761",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-07",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rz87g9evh0yr.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010015",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010015/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1607|Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications",
      "subfield": "physical"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Continuous-wave laser ablation enables high-resolution ambient mass spectrometry imaging",
  "title_text": "Continuous-wave laser ablation enables high-resolution ambient mass spectrometry imaging",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rz87g9evh0yr",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}