Fluorescence, Fluorescence Excitation and Lifetime Micro-Imaging Systems.

The microfluorescence excitation and lifetime system is based on the Fluorolog 3 instrument by JY Horiba. These powerful diagnostic techniques will be harnessed to supply the information on a micrometer scale by coupling the fluorescence excitation system to a microscope. The instrument represents a new frontier in spectroscopic instrumentation and a significant enhancement of our diagnostic capabilities . The important mapping option uses a computerised x-y-z translation stage. While mapping, the specimen undergoes point-by-point scanning and the instrument collects the fluorescence excitation spectra or time-dependent decay curves from each point. At the conclusion the accumulated information is presented in the form of a spatial map.

In addition to fluorescence excitation the instrument is capable of polarisation measurements. The measured quantity, emission anisotropy or polarisation can give information about the size and shape of the molecules, and also about the environment of the fluorophore. These measurements can be carried out in the steady-state conditions, when they yield time-averaged values. The temporal resolution of measurements of the anisotropy decay provides much more detail about molecular motions. The lifetime accessory uses the frequency-domain method for the measurement of lifetime due to a proven advantage of this approach. It offers the capability for time-resolved fluorescence measurements within a wide range of lifetimes, between 10 ps to 10 ms.