The Center has two linked Flash Photolysis Systems, one laser pumped, which measures lifetimes up to approximately 20 nanoseconds, and one xenon lamp pumped, allowing measurements of lifetimes up to 10 ms with broadband excitation.
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The nanosecond resolution allows Professor Goodman to study the kinetics of his Dissociative Return Electron Transfer reactions. Furthermore the 1.5ms lifetimes of Professor Boeckman's Terbium Chelates can be measured on this apparatus enabling powerful Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) studies. Professor Philip Knauf of the Dept. of Biochemistry and Biophysics hopes to use this FRET to characterize critical changes in the conformations of membrane transfer proteins that are vital to their function.