The orientation of the phosphorescence dipole moment of erythrosine B within its molecular frame

Abstract

For an unequivocal interpretation of time-resolved phosphorescence depolarization measurements on dye molecules in biophysical systems, the orientation of the transition dipole moments within the frame of the dye has to be known. The goal of this work is to find the orientation of the phosphorescence dipole moment of erythrosine B within its molecular frame. To this end, we first determine four difference angles, exciting a molecule in two of its absorption bands and measuring the fluorescence and phosphorescence anisotropy for each excitation wavelength. The next step is to position the transition dipole moments within the molecular frame, combining the results of angle-resolved fluorescence depolarization measurements with the measured difference angles. It is shown that the phosphorescence dipole moment is tilted out of the plane of the molecule. Additionally, we find that the phosphorescence dipole moment is located above the fluorescence dipole moment and not above the absorption dipole moment. This induces an extra difference angle between the absorption and the phosphorescence dipole moments which in the past has been interpreted erroneously as a larger tilt out of the plane of the molecule.