Fluorescence Imaging Spectroscopy and Microscopy

In recent years, the introduction of the combined use of fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy has opened up exciting new arenas of scientific investigation. The combination of spectroscopic techniques and video microscopy enables acquisition of quantitative data about dynamic processes. It allows the investigation of molecular activity as it occurs—at the level of a single, intact, living cell—and provides extraordinary detail regarding biological organization and function. This new work covers emerging technologies and their applications in a variety of disciplines, including chemistry, biology, physics, computer science, engineering, medicine, and pharmacology. These topics are presented by contributing authors who are leading—and pioneering—researchers in their fields. They offer a critical evaluation of both theoretical and practical aspects of the use of these combined technologies in a way that cuts across disciplines, promoting interactivity and dialogue among scientists in different fields. Each chapter is devoted to a new, unique, or otherwise novel application of the combination of imaging techniques and fluorescence spectroscopy. In addition to covering established methods and instrumentation, the contributors also identify potential new applications in a number of areas. Throughout, they emphasize the multifunctional and multidimensional uses of the marriage of fluorescence imaging spectroscopy and digital imaging microscopy. They show how these technologies can be used in combination to obtain distinct yet complementary information, allowing two and three dimensional measurements, as well as manipulations of the sample under study in real time. This book makes the field of fluorescence imaging spectroscopy and microscopy accessible to scientists in a variety of research fields. It is also an excellent text for graduate students, a reference to the latest techniques, and a source of ideas to stimulate future investigation.