title: Absolute brightness of fluorescent microspheres.
abstract: The absolute brightness of fluorescent particles, such as dye-containing nano- and microspheres or quantum dots, is a critical design parameter for many applications relying on fluorescence detection. The absolute brightness, defined as the ratio of radiant intensity of emission to illumination intensity of excitation, of nile-red fluorescent microspheres with a 1 micrometre diameter is measured to be 4.2 +/- 1 x 10(-16) m(2)/sr, and the implications for the design of kinesin motor protein-powered "smart dust" devices and the remote detection of fluorescence are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-6400, USA.
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Finger
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mobley
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hess
mesh_terms: D005453:Fluorescence; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D008027:Light; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D008863:Microspheres; D010078:Oxazines / Q000737:chemistry; D045663:Quantum Dots
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D010078:Oxazines; C044808:nile red