Extracting Spectral Dynamics from Single Chromophores in Solution

Fluorescence spectroscopy of single chromophores immobilized on a substrate has provided much fundamental insight, yet the spectral line shapes and dynamics of single chromophores freely diffusing in solution have remained difficult or impossible to measure with conventional linear spectroscopies. H...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marshall, Lisa Faye, Cui, Jian, Brokmann, Xavier, Bawendi, Moungi G.
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemistry
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: American Physical Society 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60698
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2220-4365
Description
Summary:Fluorescence spectroscopy of single chromophores immobilized on a substrate has provided much fundamental insight, yet the spectral line shapes and dynamics of single chromophores freely diffusing in solution have remained difficult or impossible to measure with conventional linear spectroscopies. Here, we demonstrate an interferometric technique for extracting time dependent single chromophore spectral correlations from intensity correlations in the interference pattern of an ensemble fluorescence spectrum. We apply our technique to solutions of colloidal quantum dots and explore the spectrum of single particles on short time scales not feasible with conventional fluorescence measurements.