University of California

Alan K Van Orden

Richard A Keller

James H Jett

Peter M Goodwin

Nicholas P Machara

Single fluorescent molecules in a flowing sample stream are distinguished and identified using only a single laser excitation wavelength. A sample stream is formed containing a dilute mixture of single molecule fluorophores, wherein each one of the fluorophores is serially ordered in the sample stream. The sample stream is illuminated with s single excitation wavelength laser effective to excite each fluorophore one at a time. Fluorescence emission photons from each said fluorophore are detected. A burst size is determined for each fluorophore to identify each fluorophore. A pulsed laser may be used, where burst size and an intra-burst fluorescence decay rate for each fluorophore are determined simultaneously from the detected fluorescence emission photons. The burst size and the decay rate are correlated to identify each fluorophore.

Growing community of inventors

Los Alamos, NM, United States of America

Alan K Van Orden