title: Laser beam shaping and spot size.
abstract: One or more lasers are the source of illumination in the majority of fluorescence flow cytometers now in use. A typical laser emits a beam on the order of 1 mm in diameter. For efficient utilization this beam must be shaped and focused to a smaller size to illuminate the cell stream passing through the interrogation point. This unit discusses spot size requirements and the methods by which optimal spot size is achieved.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Shapiro
mesh_terms: D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D005453:Fluorescence; D005470:Fluorometry / Q000295:instrumentation; D007834:Lasers; D016011:Normal Distribution; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results