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High-resolution Spatiotemporal Analysis of Receptor Dynamics by Single-molecule Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: July 25, 2014
Spectral diffusion of single molecules in a hierarchical energy landscape
Stefan Krause1, Danny Kowerko, Richard Börner
1Institute of Physics and nanoMA, Chemnitz University of Technology, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany. stefan.krause@physik.tu-chemnitz.de
Abstract:
Spectral diffusion as a result of both the transitions between different molecular conformers and the ''molecular softness'' of quasi-free perylene diimides on a SiO(2) surface is investigated by means of single-molecule spectroscopy, which reveals the time dependence of both the fluorescence spectra and the three-dimensional orientation. Spectral wavelengths of all single emitters cover a wide energy range of about 0.27 eV, which is due to different types of conformers with large differences in optical transition energy. Time-dependent spectral trajectories of single emitters within this wavelength manifold are evaluated with a model transcribed from the analysis of spatial diffusion. Spectral diffusion processes are closely correlated with fluorescence emission and excitation power. The overall analysis of spectral diffusion reveals, similar to proteins, a hierarchy of energy barriers in a broad energy landscape.
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