single-photon timing

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S05689
Technique that permits @R05206@ of the parameters characterizing a @F02453@ decay after pulse excitation (in particular excited-states lifetimes). It is based on the creation of a time histogram of many stochastic events involving the time delay between the electronic excitation of a molecule or material and its emission of a photon from an @E02257@. A key to the technique is that no more than one photon strike the detector per pulsed excitation. Excitation is commonly achieved with a flash from a repetitive nanosecond @L03447@ or @D01747@ or a CW operated @L03459@ (@M03959@). The essential components of the hardware are a device to measure the excitation-emission delay time and another to determine the relative frequency of photons reaching the detector at each delay time. Delay times are usually measured with a time-to-amplitude-converter (TAC), using voltage to measure the delay between a start and a stop signal. The frequency of events with each delay is stored in a multi-@C00970@ analyser. This term is preferred to time-correlated @P04629@.
Source:
PAC, 2007, 79, 293. (Glossary of terms used in photochemistry, 3rd edition (IUPAC Recommendations 2006)) on page 420 [Terms] [Paper]