Editing Flow cytometry (section)

==== Optical filters ====
Light emitted from [[fluorophore]]s are in a spectrum of wavelengths, so combining multiple fluorophores may cause overlap. To add specificity, [[optical filter]]s and [[Dichroic filter|dichroic mirrors]] are used to filter and move light to the detectors such as [[photomultiplier tube]]s (PMTs) or [[avalanche photodiodes]] (APD).<ref name=":1" /> Optical filters are designed as band pass (BP), long pass (LP), or short pass (SP) filters. Most flow cytometers uses dichroic mirrors and band pass filters to select specific bands of the optical spectrum.