In (bio)physical/(bio)chemical research
time-resolved spectroscopy is used to disentangle complex kinetics. To fully
extract the information from the overwhelming amount of data that is generally
obtained, a model based analysis is mandatory. This analysis is based upon
assumptions regarding the measurement process, and upon a physico-chemical
model for the complex system. This model is composed of building blocks
representing scientific knowledge and assumptions. Building blocks are the
instrument response function, the components of the system connected in a
kinetic scheme, and additional properties of the components (e.g. anisotropy).
The use of a combined model for the kinetics and for the spectra of the
components results in a more powerful spectro-temporal model. The model
parameters, like rate constants and spectra, can be estimated from the data,
thus providing a concise description of the complex system dynamics.
Contact: Dr. I.H.M. van Stokkum; e-mail: ivo@nat.vu.nl
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Fig. 1: Flow chart of modeling the
initial photocycle of Photoactive Yellow
Protein (PYP). Traces at 4 wavelengths
are shown at the top right. The kinetic model scheme comprises of five states
(indicated by the color of the box), of which the Species Associated Spectra
(SAS) and rate constants have been estimated.