Objective
Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) spectroscopy is a well established method for the acquisition of fluorescence dynamics on the picosecond time-scale of very weakly emitting sources and is distinguished by its unsurpassed dynamic range. Instrument response functions (IRF) as narrow as 16 ps have been achieved, resulting in an effective time-resolution of about 2 ps after deconvolution. The scope of the TCSPC method ranges from basic investigations to applications in biology and medicine such as DNA-sequencing, microscopic studies of living cells, and optical tomography.
A recent advance in micro-channel plate (MCP)-PMT technology, i.e. the introduction of a delay-line (DL) anode by one of the partners (ELDY Ltd.), resulted in the exciting possibility of simultaneous acquisition of time and space information, i.e. in time- and space-correlated single photon counting (TSCSPC) spectroscopy, at temporal and spatial IRFs characterised by FWHM of 80 ps and 100 m, respectively.
The spatial information can be the emission wavelength, dispersed by a polychromator, or may be derived from multiple samples at different locations, characterised by individual decay characteristics. In the latter case, multichannel optical tomography seems feasible by applying coherent fibre optics.
Among the main aims of the project is the improvement of space- and time-resolution of the existing DL-MCP-PMTs by applying new anode-geometries, and to test the new devices in biological and medical applications. Top priority will be given to the introduction of wedge- (WE) and/or quadrant- (QA) electrodes, leading to a fast, two-dimensional lifetime imaging device.
The novel MCP-PMTs will be designed and manufactured in St. Petersburg, in close collaboration with the groups in Alma Ata, Kharkov, and Moscow, and will be incorporated into the current biology and medicine research programmes of the groups in Berlin, Dublin, Jyväskylä, Kharkov, London, and Moscow which are all equipped with a high-repetition laser system and TCSPC electronics and experience, and thus able to adopt the novel devices at moderate cost and adequate time.
The unique DL/WE- and/or QA-MCP-PMTs will satisfy a world-wide demand for a fast (ca. 10 ps time resolution) fluorescence imaging device for applications in basic research, biology, and medicine.
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
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12247 Berlin
Germany