Luminescence lifetimes of single molecules in disordered media

Linewidth measurements for single terrylene molecules in polyethylene at a temperature of 30 mK indicate that there is a distribution of lifetimes for the terrylene molecules with a relative standard deviation of similar to 20%. An analysis of the linewidth-line area correlation shows that the variations arise from approximately equal radiative and nonradiative contributions. A simple model suggests that the distribution of radiative lifetimes in disordered media is a general effect caused by the same interactions responsible for inhomogeneous broadening. In addition to the transition frequency, the luminescence lifetime of a probe molecule can be used to study the nano-environment of the probe. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.