System and apparatus for blind deconvolution of flow cytometer particle emission

A system for determining a total particle emission of a flow cytometer particle, the system comprising:

• a. an apparatus adapted to pass a laser excitation energy into a generally perpendicular flow cytometer channel element through which a particle passes, said particle being adapted to be irradiated by said apparatus and to emit at least one fluorescent emission responsive to said laser excitation energy, wherein said at least one fluorescent emission results from a geometrical convolution of a geometrical form of both:
• i. said laser excitation energy;
• and
• ii. a geometric characteristic of at least one fluorescent emission of said particle;
• b. an analog emission detector adapted to detect at least some of said at least one fluorescent emission and to output an analog electrical emission;
• c. a digital sampler adapted to provide multiple time samples of said analog electrical emission;
• and
• d. a processor, adapted to process said multiple time samples and to calculate a total fluorescent emission of said particle, by determining the extent of said geometric convolution and fitting said time samples to a function of a same extent.

A method for determining a total particle emission of a flow cytometer particle, the method comprising:

• e. impinging a laser excitation energy onto a particle moving generally perpendicularly thereto, to induce said particle to emit at least one fluorescent emission responsive to said laser excitation energy, wherein said at least one fluorescent emission results from a geometrical convolution of a geometrical form of both:
• i. said laser excitation energy;
• and
• ii. a geometric characteristic of at least one fluorescent emission of said particle;
• f. detecting at least some of said at least one fluorescent emission thereby outputting an analog electrical emission;
• g. providing multiple time samples of said analog electrical emission;
• and
• h. processing said multiple time samples to calculate a total fluorescent emission of said particle, by determining the extent of said geometric convolution and fitting said time samples to a function of a same extent.