Abstract

A highly diluted suspension of red blood cells (hematocrit 0.01) was illuminated with an Ar or a dye laser in the wavelength range of 458–660 nm. The extinction and the angle-resolved intensity of scattered light were measured and compared with the predictions of Mie theory, the Rayleigh–Gans approximation, and the anomalous diffraction approximation. Furthermore, empirical phase functions were fitted to the measurements. The measurements were in satisfactory agreement with the predictions of Mie theory. However, better agreement was found with the anomalous diffraction model. In the Rayleigh–Gans approximation, only small-angle scattering is described appropriately. The scattering phase function of erythrocytes may be represented by the Gegenbauer kernel phase function.

© 1998 Optical Society of America

Comparison of Mie theory and the light scattering of red blood cells

John M. Steinke and A. P. Shepherd
Appl. Opt. 27(19) 4027-4033 (1988)

T-matrix computations of light scattering by red blood cells

Annika M. K. Nilsson, Peter Alsholm, Anders Karlsson, and Stefan Andersson-Engels
Appl. Opt. 37(13) 2735-2748 (1998)

Calibration-free method to determine the size and hemoglobin concentration of individual red blood cells from light scattering

Konstantin A. Sem’yanov, Pit A. Tarasov, Juhani T. Soini, Alexander K. Petrov, and Valeri P. Maltsev
Appl. Opt. 39(31) 5884-5889 (2000)

Light scattering by red blood cells in ektacytometry: Fraunhofer versus anomalous diffraction

Geert J. Streekstra, Alfons G. Hoekstra, Evert-Jan Nijhof, and Robert M. Heethaar
Appl. Opt. 32(13) 2266-2272 (1993)

Light scattering by aggregated red blood cells

Stephanos V. Tsinopoulos, Euripides J. Sellountos, and Demosthenes Polyzos
Appl. Opt. 41(7) 1408-1417 (2002)