biostudies-literatureStrohm EMCanadian Institutes of Health Research59-67https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC3699781biostudies-literatureUnknown105(1)A method that can rapidly quantify variations in the morphology of single red blood cells (RBCs) using light and sound is presented. When irradiated with a laser pulse, an RBC absorbs the optical energy and emits an ultrasonic pressure wave called a photoacoustic wave. The power spectrum of the resulting photoacoustic wave contains distinctive features that can be used to identify the RBC size and morphology. When particles 5-10 μm in diameter (such as RBCs) are probed with high-frequency photoacoustics, unique periodically varying minima and maxima occur throughout the photoacoustic signal power spectrum at frequencies >100 MHz. The location and distance between spectral minima scale with the size and morphology of the RBC; these shifts can be used to quantify small changes in the morpholBiophysical journalProbing red blood cell morphology using high-frequency photoacoustics.PMC3699781CCI 1117964Strohm EMKolios MCBerndl ESfalseProbing red blood cell morphology using high-frequency photoacoustics.A method that can rapidly quantify variations in the morphology of single red blood cells (RBCs) using light and sound is presented. When irradiated with a laser pulse, an RBC absorbs the optical energy and emits an ultrasonic pressure wave called a photoacoustic wave. The power spectrum of the resulting photoacoustic wave contains distinctive features that can be used to identify the RBC size and morphology. When particles 5-10 μm in diameter (such as RBCs) are probed with high-frequency photoacoustics, unique periodically varying minima and maxima occur throughout the photoacoustic signal power spectrum at frequencies >100 MHz. The location and distance between spectral minima scale with the size and morphology of the RBC; these shifts can be used to quantify small changes in the morphol2013-01-01T00:00:00Z2013 Jul2026-06-29T03:15:38.315Z2019-03-27T01:12:25ZS-EPMC36997812382322410.1016/j.bpj.2013.05.037