Scattering of light by red blood cells

The optical parameters of a red blood cell suspended in the blood plasma, namely, the scattering and absorption cross sections and the phase function describing the small-angle distribution of the scattered light are calculated. Dependence of the optical parameters on all possible values of sizes, shapes, orientations, hemoglobin concentration, and oxygenation degree is considered. The data are calculated with the so-called straight-ray approximation. The accuracy of the approximation is estimated by comparison with the Mie theory.