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Spectroscopy Configurations for Fluorescence Applications
Fluorescence spectroscopy refers to the measurement of the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light of a different wavelength. In most cases, the emitted light is at a lower energy state but higher wavelength than the absorbed light. Fluorescence as a spectroscopy application technique is exploding with uses in many industries. It is used to detect counterfeits in the printing industry, protein measurement in life science, mineralogy, pathogen detection, and much more.
Generally, there are two types of fluorescence measurements, endogenous and exogenous. Endogenous fluorescence refers to fluorescence that is naturally occurring in a chemical species, plant, or animal subject. For example, chlorophyll in plants exhibits natural or endogenous fluorescence as does the protein tryptophan in animal tissue. Exogenous fluorescence refers to a fluorescence occurring as a result of the addition of a natural or chemically synthesized fluorophore. For example, fluorescein and indocyanine green are two commonly used fluorophores in medical applications.
Avantes instruments and accessories are frequently used in fluorescence applications. While the traditional go-to instrument for fluorescence is a fluorimeter, a functional solution for fluorescence measurements can be configured with Avantes spectrometers, light sources, and sample accessories. Spectrometer-based fluorescence solutions offer some advantages over traditional fluorimeter instruments including:
- Size/portability – enabling integration into handheld devices
- Value – these instruments often have a superior price/ performance ratio
- Micro-sampling – by using fiber optics
- Speed – Micro spectrometers can support sampling at KHz rates and higher
- Non-invasive/non-contact sampling
For these reasons and more Avantes instruments are often considered for integration into commercial systems for fluorescence detection to support medical and industrial applications.
The following details some common configurations used in fluorescence applications. It is by no means a complete list of all possible configurations but it provides some ideas. Avantes is not a manufacturer of integrated turnkey solutions, but rather a component supplier for fluorescence.