Planning Stage

H. Li et al, Improving the precision of fluorescence lifetime measurement using a streak camera, Chinese Optics Letters (8), 10 (934-936), 2010.

An etalon of known timing separation is used to calibrate the time axis of a streak camera. The time axis is fit accordingly to a 4th-order polynomial equation. This performs the same method of fitting non-linearity on the time axis and non-uniformity of pixel gain, but without assuming a sinusoidal pattern. The technique is for a one-time calibration of the time axis that can be applied for all future data, versus our real-time method. The field non-linearity is much less pronounced in their system compared to ours, where the sinusoidal sweep amplitude is at the edge of what can fit on the readout screen. This calibration method was successful in reducing the error in a fluorescence lifetime measurement (Rose Bengal, 700ps) from 10% to 2%.

Similarities: * use of defined time separations to map the temporal nonlinearity * calibration factors for time as well as collection time (“gain non-uniformity”)

Differences: * 4th order polynomial fitting versus sinusoidal fit * not a real-time approach, not suitable for drift conditions