Abstract: In one general aspect, a method of measuring characteristics of particles in a liquid sample is disclosed. The method includes suspending the liquid sample in a tube. The suspended liquid sample is illuminated along an illumination axis, and at least a portion of the light is detected along a first detection axis after it is scattered by the particles in the suspended liquid sample. The illumination axis and the detection axis are oriented at an angle with respect to each other.

Abstract: In one general aspect, a method of measuring characteristics of particles in a liquid sample disclosed. The method includes supporting the liquid sample by surface tension and illuminating the supported liquid sample along an illumination axis with spatially coherent light so as to cause the coherent light to be scattered across a scattering zone. At least a portion of the scattered light is detected along a first predetermined scattering detection axis after it is scattered by the particles in the supported liquid sample. The illumination axis and the detection axis are oriented at an angle with respect to each other that allows substantially all of the light scattered at that angle across the scattering zone to be detected.