Showing posts with label Fluorescence Microscopy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fluorescence Microscopy. Show all posts

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Basic Introduction to Fluorescence Microscopy

Basic Introduction to Fluorescence Microscopy


Fluorescence is a part of the luminescence family. Luminescence is a process by which molecules emit light from either absorbing light, from mechanical friction or by a chemical mechanism. The generation of luminescence through the excitation of a molecule using ultraviolet or visible light photons is called  photoluminescence, which is divided into two categories, fluorescence andphosphorescence.
Fluorescence is the property of molecules to absorb light at a particular wavelength and to then emit light of a longer wavelength after a brief interval called the fluorescence lifetime. Phosphorescence occurs in the same way as fluorescence, but with a much longer "excited" state lifetime.