FLUORESCENCE CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY - DIAGNOSTICS FOR SPARSE MOLECULES

The robust glow of molecular fluorescence renders even sparse molecule s detectable and susceptible to analysis for concentration, mobility, chemistry, and photophysics, Correlation spectroscopy, a statistical-p hysics-based tool, gleans quantitative information from the spontaneou sly fluctuating fluorescence signals obtained from small molecular ens embles, This analytical power is available for studying molecules pres ent at minuscule concentrations in liquid solutions (less than one nan omolar), or even on the surfaces of living cells at less than one macr omolecule per square micrometer, Indeed, routines are becoming common to detect, locate, and examine individual molecules under favorable co nditions.