Open AccessAn optical model for fluorescence of mammalian sperm in flow cytometry
Author(s) -
Kerker M.,
Wang D.S.,
Chew H. W.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
cytometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1097-0320
pISSN - 0196-4763
DOI - 10.1002/cyto.990010212
Subject(s) - spheroid , oblate spheroid , fluorescence , scattering , homogeneity (statistics) , biophysics , eccentricity (behavior) , sperm , light scattering , flow cytometry , optics , physics , biology , materials science , in vitro , classical mechanics , computer science , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , botany , law , political science , machine learning
When flat sperm heads that have been stained to fluoresce are examined in a flow cytometer, unexpectedly, skewed pulse height distributions are obtained despite the apparent homogeneity of the samples. This anomaly has been ascribed to an optical artifact that arises when the cells are oriented in flow. We have extended our model for fluorescent scattering to spheroids and here explore some aspects for oblate spheroids which serve to model sperm heads. Although computational limitations have restricted these studies to oblate spheroids about 1.5 μm in diameter and an eccentricity of 0.1, the results clearly show effects of particle size, shape, optical properties and particularly of orientation on the differential scattering cross‐sections. This plethora of information contained in the fluorescent signals may suggest further experiments.