Laboratory measurements of light scattering on the axenic cultures of unicellular alga Chlorella vulgaris monoculture confirm the thesis of multi-level light scattering by the cell i.e., both by outer cell membrane and the internal structure of the cell, as well as by its molecular structures. In the measurements, the technique of dynamic light scattering and analysis by the regulation method was used, indicate that the light scattering phenomenon is affected by particles of sizes corresponding either to overall dimensions of the cell or to the dimensions of its internal structures. A correlation was found between the suggested sizes and the stage of physiological evolution of the culture. The measurements of 10 functions constituting the elements of the scattering matrix for an alive Chlorella vulgaris culture and cultures with internal cell structures modified by chemical and mechanical agents evidence that the internal structures of cells play an important role in the interaction of phytoplankton and light.

Date Published: 31 December 1992
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 1750, Ocean Optics XI, (31 December 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.140686

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1750:
Ocean Optics XI
Gary D. Gilbert, Editor(s)