High resolution time-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging for biomedical applications

We report the development of a whole-field fluorescence lifetime imaging (F LIM) system with high temporal resolution based on a time-gated image inten sifier. The optimized temporal gate width is <100 ps, and changes in the en vironment of a fluorescent phantom, causing lifetime differences less than 10ps, have been imaged. The versatility of this FLIM system has been demons trated by measuring both the temporal and spectral profiles of multiple flu orescent samples in a single acquisition. Initial fluorescence lifetime ima ges suggest that this technique can provide a means of distinguishing betwe en different tissue constituents.