Analysis of data obtained from a frequency-multiplexed phase-modulation fluorometer using an autoregressive model

In order to derive plural values of fluorescence lifetimes simultaneously from a multi-component sample, we formulate a mathematical method for analyzing data obtained from a frequency-multiplexed phase-modulation fluorometer (FM-PMF) using an autoregressive (AR) model. Various parameter settings necessary for performing accurate data analysis based on the AR model are studied through numerical simulations. Measurement results of fluorescence lifetimes of real samples, 10 ppm quinine sulfate in 0.1 N H(2)SO(4), 10 ppm rhodamine 6G in ethanol, and their mixture with a volume ratio of 1:1, demonstrate that the proposed method works quite well.