Lifetime and time-resolved fluorescence measurements with aco synchrotron radiation

For the first time storage ring synchrotron radiation has been used as a repetitive source for time spectroscopy. Very fast fluorescence decays (shorter than 1 nsec) have been measured with an accuracy of the order of 10%, by the Single Photon Counting technique. Also fast protolytic reactions occuring in the excited state of 2-naphthol and fluorescein have been investigated by the Delayed Coincidence technique (time-resolved fluorescence). Storage ring synchrotron radiation characteristics are compared with those of the nanosecond flash lamps, conventionally used for this kind of measurements.