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Introduction<br />

mixture <strong>of</strong> two fluorophores <strong>of</strong> different lifetimes showing the difference between the<br />

single and double exponential fitting.<br />

1.2.6 Average Lifetimes<br />

For analysis <strong>of</strong> complex mixtures such as crude oils, the intensity based average<br />

lifetime, τ is <strong>of</strong>ten used and is given by:<br />

τ int = α1τ 2 1 + α2τ 2 2 + αnτ 2 n<br />

α1τ1 + α2τ2 + αnτn<br />

= f1τ1 + f2τ2 + fnτn =<br />

n<br />

i=1<br />

fiτi<br />

(1.38)<br />

where fi is the fractional contribution <strong>of</strong> the i th component. In this expression,<br />

each decay time is weighted by its corresponding fractional intensity and thus this<br />

average lifetime is termed the intensity averaged lifetime. The intensity averaged<br />

lifetime can be defined as the average lifetime <strong>of</strong> a collection <strong>of</strong> different excited-<br />

state populations, where the lifetime <strong>of</strong> each population is weighted by the relative<br />

contribution <strong>of</strong> that population to the total fluorescence.<br />

It is also possible to use the pre-exponential factors (i.e. the amplitudes) as<br />

weights and define the amplitude averaged lifetime:<br />

τ amp =<br />

n<br />

i=1<br />

n<br />

i=1<br />

αiτi<br />

αi<br />

=<br />

n<br />

i=1<br />

αiτi<br />

where αi are the fractional amplitudes which are defined as:<br />

Since<br />

n<br />

αi = αi<br />

n<br />

αi = 1, the amplitude averaged lifetime reduces to:<br />

i=1<br />

τ amp =<br />

i=1<br />

n<br />

i=1<br />

αi<br />

αiτi<br />

(1.39)<br />

(1.40)<br />

(1.41)<br />

For heterogeneous decays, the intensity-based average lifetime is more accurate<br />

than the amplitude-based lifetime. However, there are cases where the amplitude<br />

36

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