Denoised portable fluorescence lifetime imaging system for on-site analysis: applications in photosynthesis

Fluorescence lifetime measurements offer crucial insights into molecular interactions and fluorophore microenvironments, with significant potential to advance research in areas like photosynthesis and field phenotyping. Currently, these measurements are largely confined to controlled laboratory settings. To overcome this limitation, we developed a portable fluorescence lifetime imaging system utilizing a dual-tap CMOS sensor. Acknowledging the unique noise characteristics of CMOS sensors and the temperature-dependent noise challenges inherent in on-site measurements, we propose a dedicated denoising method for CMOS-based fluorescence lifetime images. This procedure significantly improves the accuracy of fluorescence lifetime data and enhances image clarity, enabling on-site measurements of intact plants.