Some scientific instruments are configured to analyze small particulates with high rates of particulate throughput. Flow cytometry is one example of an analytical tool that can be used to count, examine, and sort microscopic particulates suspended in a stream of moving fluid. Particulates may include living cells, and therefore the method is used in many areas of the life sciences, including biology, pathology, immunology, and medicine. The throughput of modern cytometers can exceed thousands of particulate analyses per second, and thus provide rapid results in performing complex experiments involving cellular recognition, growth, or other properties.