FLUORESCENCE DETECTION INSTRUMENT WITH REFLECTIVE TRANSFER LEGS FOR COLOR DECIMATION

摘要

An optical instrument using a plurality of lasers (85, 87, 89, 91) of different colors with parallel, closely spaced beams (95, 97, 99, 101) to stimulate scattering and fluorescence from fluorescent biological particulate matter, including cells and large molecules. A large numerical aperture objective lens (111) collects fluorescent light (133, 135, 137, 139) while maintaining spatial separation of light stimulated by the different sources. The collected light is imaged into a plurality of fibers (123, 125, 127, 129) , one fiber associated with each optical source (95, 97, 99, 101) , which conducts light to a plurality of arrays of detectors (124, 126, 128, 130, 301, 303, 305) , with each array associated with light from one of the fibers (123, 125, 127, 129) and one of the lasers (95, 97, 99, 101) .A detector array (301, 303, 305) has up to ten detectors (160, 170, 180, 159, 169, 179, 189) arranged to separate and measure colors within relatively narrow bands by decimation of light arriving in a fiber (123) .A large number of detectors is mounted in a compact polygonal arrangement by using reflective transfer legs from multiple beam splitters (151, 161, 171, 181, 191, 201) where the transfer legs arise from a polygonal arrangement of beam splitters.