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Fluorescence Spectroscopy

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Fundamental Concepts in Biophysics

Part of the book series: Handbook of Modern Biophysics ((HBBT))

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Fluorescence emission is the result of light having been absorbed and then reemitted at a longer wavelength. In concept, once a material system absorbs the incident light of some energy or wavelength, part of that energy is transferred to the system for various internal conversion needs, and a very short time later the other part is converted to light emission at a slightly lower energy (longer wavelength). The internal transfer part is very rapid and radiationless, but dephasing. So this process is considered a two-photon, three-step, phase-incoherent process.

In this chapter we will discuss (1) the fundamental process of fluorescence, including the factors that can alter fluorescence emission intensity or polarization, (2) the types of fluorescence microscopes used for detecting fluorescent events between molecules and within cells, (3) the types of fluorophores and how they are used, (4) the application of fluorescence features to characterize molecular structures in a biological system, and (5) the exploitation of temporal changes of fluorescence detection for furthering our understanding of structure and dynamics of biomolecular systems. Fluorescence has become a widely used concept in biophysical research. What we will discuss concentrates on specific topics of current interest to the authors. For a complete review, the reader is referred to other volumes, particularly the new edition of Joseph Lakowicz's excellent work [1].

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  1. Department of Applied Science, University of California, Davis,

    Yin Yeh & Huawen Wu

  2. Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology, University of California, Davis

    Samantha Fore

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  1. Yin Yeh
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    © 2009 Humana Press

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    Yeh, Y., Fore, S., Wu, H. (2009). Fluorescence Spectroscopy. In: Jue, T. (eds) Fundamental Concepts in Biophysics. Handbook of Modern Biophysics. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-397-4_4

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