Optical detection of transient vapor nanobubbles in a microfluidic device

A system for generating and detecting transient vapor nanobubbles in a fluid from a patient, the fluid comprising the patient's blood, urine, interstitial fluid or other physiological liquid, the system comprising:

• a micro-fluidic device configured to receive a flow of the fluid from the patient;
• a laser pulse source configured to provide a laser pulse to the flow of the fluid, the laser pulse entering the flow of fluid from a first side of the micro-fluidic device, the laser pulse configured to generate a transient vapor nanobubble around a nanoparticle, if present, located in the fluid;
• a probe light source configured to provide a probe light to the flow, the probe light entering the flow of the fluid from the first side of the micro-fluidic device, the probe light configured to be scattered, reflected, and/or deflected by the transient vapor nanobubble;
• and
• a photodetector located at a second side of the micro-fluidic device opposite the first side, the photodetector configured to detect the scattered, reflected, and/or deflected probe light and output a nanobubble signal comprising characteristics of optical scattering, reflecting, and/or deflecting by the transient vapor nanobubble,
• wherein the first side and the second side are on opposite sides along a longitudinal axis of the micro-fluidic device such that the flow of the fluid is collinear to a direction of the laser pulse entering the flow of the fluid.