Frequency domain fluorimetry using a mercury vapor lamp

Frequency Domain (FD) fluorimetry, capitalizes on the frequency response function of a fluorophore and offers independence from light scatter and excitation/emission intensity variations in order to extract the sample's fluorescent lifetime. Mercury vapor lamps, a common source of industrial facility lighting, emit radiation that overlaps the UV/blue absorption spectrum of many fluorophores and may be used as an efficient and portable excitation source. The AC power modulation of mercury vapor lamps modulates the lamp’s intensity at 120 Hz (in the United States) and higher harmonics. The fluorescent lifetimes for 3 different materials (willemite, uranium doped glass and U3O8) are measured with conventional techniques and compared with the FD technique using the power harmonics from a mercury vapor lamp. The mercury lamp measurements agree to within 25% of the conventional methods.