Abstract

Three-dimensional space- and time-resolved fluorescence depolarization spectroscopy has been developed for elucidating picosecond rotational relaxation processes occurring in micrometer-sized volumes. Anisotropy decays are obtained by a new analytical method which is adapted to the large-solid-angle characteristic of the microscope optics. System parameters introduced in this method were determined by measuring a reference sample. The fluorescence dynamics of <i>p</i>-terphenyl in a thin liquid layer was analyzed as a demonstration experiment.