Single-shot acquisition of time-resolved fluorescence spectra using a multiple delay optical fiber bundle

We present a technique for simultaneous acquisition of time-resolved fluorescence spectra using a customized optical fiber bundle with multiple collection fibers of different length. These fibers were aligned at the output plane of a spectrograph corresponding to different wavelengths. Fluorescence signal dispersed by the spectrograph was converted into a pulse train owing to time delays introduced by the length differences between each fiber and subsequently detected by a photomultiplier and digitizer. The performance of the technique was tested with standard fluorescent dyes, and the results are in good agreement with literature values. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.