A SINGLE PHOTON TIMING INSTRUMENT THAT COVERS A BROAD TEMPORAL RANGE IN THE REVERSED TIMING CONFIGURATION

A versatile single-photon timing instrument based on the reversed timing configuration has been constructed. Unlike similar instruments, the apparatus described here is capable of recording a broad range of excited-state decay times owing to a switched fiber optic delay. This allows the user to readily collect time-resolved luminescence data over a variable time window in the reversed-timing configuration. With proper adjustment of the appropriate components, one can acquire a luminescence decay over a variable time range from less than 1 ns to nearly 1 mus. The full width at half-maximum of the instrument response function is 42 ps. The utility of a switched fiber optic delay is discussed and the device's construction is described.