ERROR ANALYSIS OF THE RAPID LIFETIME DETERMINATION METHOD FOR SINGLE EXPONENTIAL DECAYS WITH A NONZERO BASE-LINE

The precision of Ashworth's baseline rapid lifetime determination method (BRLD) for treating an exponential decay on a constant baseline has been evaluated as a function of fitting region, noise level, and baseline contribution. Results have been compared with the weighted non-linear least squares method (WNLS). For the lifetime using the optimum fitting regions, the precision of the BRLD ranges from slightly better than, to about a factor of two worse than, WNLS depending on noise level and baseline contribution. For the preexponential factor, the BRLD is very close in performance to WNLS. Error surfaces for different conditions and possible applications are described.