Flight-out-of-view effects in time resolved investigations of excited molecules

Abstract

In the process of measuring lifetimes of fluorescent molecules, distortions may develop in the exponential decay data due to the tendency of the molecules to escape the field of view during the fluorescent decay. Analytical and numerical methods are discussed in cases where the excitation of the observed molecules is achieved with a pulsed laser and the dispersion of excited molecules is caused by diffusion. The diffusion model approach is compared to the free expansion model approach and the applicability of these models is discussed.