Simulation of light scattering from two-dimensional cells with finite-difference time-domain method

We develop an algorithm based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to simulate light scattering from two-dimensional (2D) cell models. Our 2D FDTD code is implemented with the perfectly matched layer (PML) boundary condition. Simulation results from circular homogeneous models by our FDTD code agree well with published Mie theory results. The comparison between different 2D FDTD simulations shows that the light scattering is influenced by the size, number of organelles, and refractive index of the 2D cell models. Especially the changes of cell nucleus to cytoplasm volume ratio have strong influence to the large angle side and backward scattering. Our 2D FDTD algorithm provides a rapid simulation for the understanding of light scattering from cells.