FlowCam® 8000 Series Dynamic Imaging Particle Analyzer
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Objectives
Objective lenses with varying magnification are used depending upon the application. As all optical
systems have a specific focal depth of field (DOF), it is important to select an appropriate objective/flow
cell combination to optimize image collection.
Fluorescence Detection System (FlowCam 8400)
The FlowCam 8400 analyzer offers a fluorescence system to excite and detect particles that process the
property of fluorescence. The fluorescent system consists of a laser, focusing optics, and one or more
photomultiplier tubes (PMT) detectors. In front of each PMT detector is a filter that prevents the
analyzer from measuring unwanted wavelengths. The wavelength and power of the laser is application-
specific and can be configured for a wide range of particle types.
The laser beam focuses on the center of the flow cell and when a particle with fluorescent properties
passes through the beam, the PMTs detect the fluorescent emission of light and trigger the optical
system to capture an image of the entire frame. The laser excites the particle to create a trigger event.
Relative fluorescent emission values are recorded for all particles.
In addition to minimum thresholds, the VisualSpreadsheet program offers upper thresholds that allow
you to reject overly bright or physically large particles. You can configure the program to trigger using
channel 1, channel 2 or both. You can also set the minimum and maximum threshold values of particle
intensity that you want each channel to capture.
These graphs display relative fluorescence compared to diameter (ESD) for channel 1 (left) and channel
2 (right). The main population appears in green and the subpopulation in red. The graph axes autoscale
based upon the data values.
Objective
4X
10X
20X
Flow Cell
300FOV, 600FOV
80FOV
50FOV
Minimum Particle Size to
Obtain Morphological Data
12 µm
4 µm
2 µm
