Hammer M, Schweitzer M, Michel B, Thamm E, and Kolb A: Single scattering by red blood cells. Applied Optics, 1998, Vol.37, No.31

A highly diluted suspension of red blood cells (hematocrit 0.01) was illuminated with an Ar- or a dye laser respectively in the wavelength range of 456 nm to 660 nm. The extinction and the angular-resolved intensity of scattered light was measured and compared with the predictions of the Mie theory, the Rayleigh - Gans approximation, and the anomalous diffraction approximation. Furthermore, empirical phase functions were fitted to the measurements. The measurements were in satisfactory agreement with the predictions of Mie theory. However, a better agreement was found with the anomalous diffraction model. In the Rayleigh-Gans approximation, only the small angle scattering is described appropriate. The scattering phase function of erythrocytes may be represented by the Gegenbauer kernel phase function.