System and apparatus for blind deconvolution of flow cytometer particle emission

A system for measuring a total particle emission of a flow cytometer particle according to a plurality of digital samples, wherein the measurement is independent of how many are in the plurality of digital samples, the system comprising:

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