Patent ID: 8482723

Claim:
An optical information analyzer that emits single-mode light to a sample, which is a measurement target dispersed in a liquid flowing through a flow path, to measure optical information of the sample, the optical information analyzer comprising: a light emitting unit that emits the single-mode light to the liquid flowing through the flow path; a plurality of scattered light/fluorescence receiving units that receive side scattered light and/or fluorescence generated from the sample due to the single-mode light emitted from the light emitting unit and detect the side scattered light and/or fluorescence as scattered light/fluorescence signals; and an analyzing unit that measures and analyzes the optical information of the sample based on the scattered light/fluorescence signals detected by each of the plurality of scattered light/fluorescence receiving units, wherein the plurality of scattered light/fluorescence receiving units are provided at positions other than a position facing the light emitting unit and optical axes of all of the scattered light/fluorescence receiving units intersect an optical axis of the light emitting unit, the plurality of scattered light/fluorescence receiving units include a pair of scattered light/fluorescence receiving units arranged to be substantially symmetric with respect to a substantially center position of a plane in the flow path or the optical axis of the light emitting unit, and the analyzing unit measures a pair of optical information of the sample based on a pair of scattered light/fluorescence signals detected by the pair of scattered light/fluorescence receiving units, and analyzes the sample based on the measured pair of optical information of the sample.