Flow Cytometry is the quantitative analysis of cells and cell systems - measuring things like cell size, the number of cells, cell shape, and structure, types of proteins etc. Flow cytometry uses a fluid suspension, commonly known as sheath fluid, to analyze individual cells and simultaneously measure multiple parameters of each individual cell. Thousands of cells per second can be analyzed as they pass through the liquid suspension. This allows researchers to generate large datasets from samples can be small and limiting.
The purpose of the optical system is to illuminate the cells or particles present in the sheath fluid using lasers. Lasers are used in flow cytometers because of two main reasons - lasers are coherent and monochromatic sources of light. This means that a very narrow wavelength can be specified and the light output will always be in phase. These two properties of lasers are critical for flow cytometry. The sheath fluid flows at a high stream velocity, therefore it is critical that the laser illumination spot be very small and focused, to illuminate a cell or particle.
Another reason for using lasers is that their output power, which essentially measures of how many photons are output per unit time, is usually adjustable. Flow cytometer lasers typical range in power from 20mW to 100mW. plasma allowing for the smaller footprint of cytometers, low power requirements, and short warm-up periods.
The most common wavelengths of lasers used in flow cytometry are 355 nm, 375 nm, 405 nm, 488 nm, 532 nm, 561 nm, and 640 nm. The lasing medium in these lasers is solid, as opposed to a gas or plasma allowing for the smaller footprint of cytometers, low power requirements, and short warm-up periods.
When the laser of a specific wavelengths strikes a cell, the light is either reflected by the cell or it is absorbed. Depending on the response to the laser, various properties of the cell can be analyzed. Laser light reflected from a cell can either follow a forward scatter or a side scatter. Forward scattered (FSC) light is refracted by a cell in the same direction that the light was originally traveling. Side scattered (SSC) light is refracted by cells in a direction that is different from the original light path
If a cell has fluorescent properties or is "tagged" with fluorescent dyes, when laser light is shown on them, they absorb the energy of the light and "fluoresce" at a higher wavelength. E.g. fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) is a dye that efficiently absorbs light from a blue (488nm) laser and produces a green (525nm) emission while phycoerythrin (PE) also absorbs light from a blue (488nm) laser but produces an orange (575nm) emission.
Flow Cytometry Lasers
Product | Wavelength | Description | Starting At | In Stock | |
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405 nm Best Seller! | 405 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 50 - 10000 mW Output Power | $991.00 | Specs |
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532 nm Best Seller! | 532 nm DPSS Laser System 5 - 300 mW Output Power | $1,437.00 | Specs |
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473 nm Best Seller! | 473 nm DPSS Laser System 5 - 100 mW Output Power | $1,664.00 | Specs |
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635 nm Best Seller! | 635 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 5 - 500 mW Output Power | $2,225.00 | Specs |
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473 nm Best Seller! | 473 nm DPSS Laser System 200 - 500 mW Output Power | $2,482.00 | Specs |
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635 nm Best Seller! | 635 nm Collimated Diode Laser System with Near-TEM00 Beam 5 - 200 mW Output Power | $2,583.00 | Specs |
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640 nm Best Seller! | 640 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 5 - 200 mW Output Power | $2,583.00 | Specs |
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633 nm | 633 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 5 - 80 mW Output Power | $3,060.00 | Specs |
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561 nm | Fanless 561 nm DPSS Laser System 5 - 200 mW Output Power | $3,600.00 | Specs |
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593.5 nm | 593.5 nm DPSS Laser System 5 - 30 mW Output Power | $3,713.00 | Specs |
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532 nm Best Seller! | Fanless Fanless 532 nm DPSS Laser System 500 - 1000 mW Output Power | $4,104.00 | Specs |
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473 nm Best Seller! | Environmentally Sealed 473 nm DPSS Laser System 10 - 100 mW Output Power | $4,225.00 | Specs |
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532 nm Best Seller! | Environmentally Sealed 532 nm DPSS Laser System 10 - 300 mW Output Power | $4,668.00 | Specs |
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405 nm Best Seller! | 405 nm Collimated Diode Laser System with TEM00 Beam 10 - 40 mW Output Power | $4,777.00 | Specs |
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405 nm Best Seller! | 405 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 30 - 50 mW Output Power | $4,805.00 | Specs |
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488 nm | 488 nm Collimated Diode Laser System with Near-TEM00 Beam 30 - 160 mW Output Power | $4,805.00 | Specs |
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633 nm | 633 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 5 - 30 mW Output Power | $4,805.00 | Specs |
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473 nm Best Seller! | Fanless 473 nm DPSS Laser System 5 - 500 mW Output Power | $4,805.00 | Specs |
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532 nm Best Seller! | 532 nm DPSS Laser System 2000 mW Output Power | $5,478.00 | Specs |
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635 nm Best Seller! | 635 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 3000 - 6000 mW Output Power | $5,913.00 | Specs |
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589 nm Best Seller! | 589 nm DPSS Laser System 10 - 50 mW Output Power | $5,913.00 | Specs |
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532 nm Best Seller! | 532 nm DPSS Laser System 3000 - 5000 mW Output Power | $6,958.00 | Specs |
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593.5 nm | 593.5 nm DPSS Laser System 50 - 100 mW Output Power | $6,958.00 | Specs |
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640 nm Best Seller! | 640 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 1000 - 1000 mW Output Power | $7,035.00 | Specs |
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589 nm Best Seller! | 589 nm DPSS Laser System 100 - 300 mW Output Power | $7,954.00 | Specs |
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473 nm Best Seller! | 473 nm DPSS Laser System 800 - 1500 mW Output Power | $8,673.00 | Specs |
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532 nm Best Seller! | 532 nm DPSS Laser System 8000 - 20000 mW Output Power | $11,375.00 | Specs |
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589 nm Best Seller! | 589 nm DPSS Laser System 500 - 500 mW Output Power | $11,375.00 | Specs |
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589 nm Best Seller! | Environmentally Sealed 589 nm DPSS Laser System - mW Output Power | $11,375.00 | Specs |
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488 nm | 488 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 200 - 1800 mW Output Power | $12,947.00 | Specs |
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375 nm | 375 nm Collimated Diode Laser System with Near-TEM00 Beam 5 - 50 mW Output Power | $13,589.00 | Specs |
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355 nm | 355 nm DPSS Laser System 1 - 10 mW Output Power | $13,617.00 | Specs |
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593.5 nm | 593.5 nm DPSS Laser System 200 - 300 mW Output Power | $13,617.00 | Specs |
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473 nm Best Seller! | 473 nm DPSS Laser System | $13,975.00 | Specs |
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375 nm | 375 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 100 - 150 mW Output Power | $14,726.00 | Specs |
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593.5 nm | 593.5 nm DPSS Laser System 500 - 800 mW Output Power | $16,587.00 | Specs |
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488 nm | 488 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 5 - 80 mW Output Power | $16,927.00 | Specs |
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589 nm Best Seller! | 589 nm DPSS Laser System 1000 - 3000 mW Output Power | $17,982.00 | Specs |
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561 nm | 561 nm DPSS Laser System 1500 - 2000 mW Output Power | $19,105.00 | Specs |
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375 nm | 375 nm Collimated Diode Laser System 5 - 20 mW Output Power | $20,122.00 | Specs |
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473 nm Best Seller! | 473 nm DPSS Laser System - mW Output Power | $20,150.00 | Specs |
Here are a list of research papers that reference Laserglow Technologies products in their Flow Cytometry.