Absolute real-time determination of size and refractive index of individual microspheres

The flying light scattering indicatrix (FLSI) method has been improved by employing a set of empirical equations combined with a decision tree which has been used for simultaneous real-time measurements and calculation of the size and refractive index of individual spherical particles. Empirical equations have been developed for determination of particle parameters over the range m to m and 1.37 to 1.60 for size and refractive index respectively. The FLSI method has been used for determination of the precision of a scanning flow cytometer for analysis of individual particles. A two-dimensional map (size X refractive index) was created for polystyrene latex and milk fat particles.