Laser induced alignment of state-selected CH3I.

Hexapole state selection is used to prepare CH3I molecules in the |JKM〉 = |1±1∓1〉 state. The molecules are aligned in a strong 800 nm laser field, which is linearly polarised perpendicular to the weak static extraction field E of the time of flight setup. The molecules are subsequently ionised by a second time delayed probe laser pulse.

Hexamerization of the bacteriophage T4 capsid protein gp23 and its W13V mutant studied by time-resolved tryptophan fluorescence.

The bacteriophage T4 capsid protein gp23 was studied using time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence of the intrinsic protein fluorophore tryptophan. In-vitro gp23 consists mostly of monomers at low temperature but forms hexamers at room temperature. To extend our knowledge of the structure and hexamerization characteristics of gp23, the temperature-dependent fluorescence properties of a tryptophan mutant (W13V) were compared to those of wild-type gp23.

Time-resolved fluorescence of the bacteriophage T4 capsid protein gp23.

The time-resolved fluorescence properties of the bacteriophage T4 capsid protein gp23 are investigated. The structural characteristics of this protein are largely unknown and can be probed by recording time-resolved and decay-associated fluorescence spectra and intensity decay curves using a 200 ps-gated intensified CCD-camera. Spectral and decay data are recorded simultaneously, which makes data acquisition fast compared to time-correlated single-photon counting.

Fast-gated intensified charge-coupled device camera to record time-resolved fluorescence spectra of tryptophan.

The possibilities of a 200 ps gated intensified charge-coupled device (CCD) camera to record time-resolved fluorescence were explored using the fluorescing amino acid tryptophan and its derivative Nacetyl-tryptophan amide (NATA) as model compounds. The results were compared to complementary data from time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) experiments. If a spectral resolution of 1-2 nm is desired, the fast-gated intensified CCD (ICCD) camera is the method of choice.