Method and appartatus for improved time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy
First Claim
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1. A method for fluorescent spectroscopy of material, comprising the steps of:
- (a) exciting the material with a single pulse of light energy to induce fluorescence;
(b) detecting in a detector a signal corresponding to the fluorescence transient waveform induced by said single pulse, as distorted by said detector and said pulse, and generating an electrical signal F(t) corresponding to said distorted signal;
(c) detecting in said detector a signal, which corresponds to said single pulse, as distorted by the impulse response of said detector, and generating an electrical signal E(t);
(d) separately displaying an image of said waveforms F(t) and E(t);
(e) digitizing a predetermined number of data points on each such image, as digital numbers representing points on said waveforms;
(f) storing said numbers in memory as data points of E(t) and F(t); and
(g) calculating the true fluorescence impulse response waveform f(t) from the stored data point numbers.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy is described in which laser light from a single pulse is used to excite fluorescent photons in a sample, which fluorescence is detected by a PMT optimized for linearity and response time to produce photoelectrons which generate a current at the PMT anode. This current is discharged through an R/C network to produce a voltage amplitude waveform which is converted to an optical image, intensified, stored and digitized. The digitized version of the optical image is processed in a data processor to calculate the true fluorescence impulse response.
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23 Claims
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1. A method for fluorescent spectroscopy of material, comprising the steps of:
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(a) exciting the material with a single pulse of light energy to induce fluorescence; (b) detecting in a detector a signal corresponding to the fluorescence transient waveform induced by said single pulse, as distorted by said detector and said pulse, and generating an electrical signal F(t) corresponding to said distorted signal; (c) detecting in said detector a signal, which corresponds to said single pulse, as distorted by the impulse response of said detector, and generating an electrical signal E(t); (d) separately displaying an image of said waveforms F(t) and E(t); (e) digitizing a predetermined number of data points on each such image, as digital numbers representing points on said waveforms; (f) storing said numbers in memory as data points of E(t) and F(t); and (g) calculating the true fluorescence impulse response waveform f(t) from the stored data point numbers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. Apparatus for fluorescent spectroscopy of material, comprising:
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(a) a stable source of light pulses for exciting the material with a single pulse of light energy to induce fluorescence; (b) detector means for separately; (i) detecting the fluorescence transient waveform induced by said single pulse, as distorted by said detector means and generating an electrical waveform signal F(t) corresponding thereto, and (ii) detecting the waveform, which represent said single pulse, as distorted by the impulse response of said detector means and generating an electrical waveform signal E(t) corresponding thereto, (c) image display means responsive to said electrical signals for separately displaying an image of said waveform signals F(t) and E(t); (d) digitizing means for producing a predetermined number of data points on each such image, as digital numbers representing points on said waveform signals; (e) storage means for storing said numbers in memory as data points of E(t) and F(t); and (f) computer means for calculating the true fluorescence impulse response waveform f(t) from the stored data points. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification