Figure 4.

Principles of flow cytometry. Flow cytometry is a technology used to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics of particles in a fluid (sheath fluid) as they pass through at least one light source (lasers). The light detected (photons) is converted into pulses that are subsequently displayed in plots, histograms, or other visualizations. Although the fluidics system may differ (pressure, syringe, peristaltic pump, and vacuum), the optics (excitation and emission collection) are composed of lasers, the flow cell, filters, and detectors.