Lasers in flow cytometry

Abstract

Laser technology has advanced tremendously since the first gas lasers were incorporated into early flow cytometers. Gas lasers have been largely replaced by solid-state laser technology, making virtually any desirable visible light wavelength available for flow cytometry. Multiwavelength, white light, and wavelength tunable lasers are poised to enhance our analytical capabilities even further. In this chapter, I summarize the role that lasers play in cytometry, and the practical characteristics that make a laser appropriate for flow cytometry. I then review the latest single wavelength lasers available for flow cytometry, and how they can be used to excite the ever-expanding array of available fluorochromes. Finally, I review the contribution and potential of the latest tunable laser technology to flow cytometry, and show several examples of these novel sources integrated into production instruments. Technical details and critical parameters for successful application of these lasers for biomedical analysis are covered in depth.