Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 14: Poster Session II

BP 14.32: Poster

Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 18:00–21:00, P2

Optical properties of red blood cells and refractive index of hemoglobin — •Sarah Tabea Hermes, Agatha Belén Pinto Pino, Thomas John, and Christian Wagner — Experimental Physics, Saarland University

As the determination of the oxygen saturation of whole blood is common practice in medicine, the research of the oxygenation state of individual red blood cells (RBCs) remains challenging. When observing RBCs under a light microscope, the image is a composition of absorption as well as refraction (since the refractive index inside the RBC is higher than in the medium) and further depends on the focal plane, see Poster Aaron Kreis. This is important both for determining the composition of the cell via absorption as well as for edge detection because the refraction leads to "ghost edges". It is thus relevant to research the optical properties of RBCs and in particular the refractive index of the hemoglobin inside the RBCs. This allows for better comparison with numerical simulations and enables to precisely match the refractive index of the medium and the RBCs. We will present a detailed measurements about the refractive index of hemoglobin solutions in comparison with literature values.

Keywords: red blood cell; refractive index; hemoglobin