Looking at the photodynamics of individual fluorescent molecules and proteins

Abstract

The photodynamics of individual molecules and fluorescent proteins has been investigated in real time. In the case of organic molecules, both the triplet state lifetime and intersystem crossing yield appear to vary in time and space. In the case of autofluorescent proteins, light-driven "on-off" fluorescence emission has been observed, with a behavior that is consistent with the existence of a long-lived dark state.