Analysis of multiexponential decays through a sine transform method in single photon decay spectroscopy experiments

摘要

A simple Fourier transform method for processing the time intervals recorded in a single photon decay spectroscopy (SPDS) experiment has been developed for fluorescence signals containing more than one decay constant (multiexponential signals). The main advantage of the proposed method consists in showing clearly the existence of each of the components which constitute the decaying fluorescence. This advantage increases when we are measuring relatively long decay constants (> 1μs) and the mean fluorescence intensity is low, since in these cases the conventional technique of SPDS requires rather long data acquisition times. A comparison between the conventional technique and the sine transform method has been made for a great variety of experimental situations by resorting to a computer simulation for fluorescence signals containing two or three decaying constants.