Definition of Fluorescence

1. Noun. Light emitted during absorption of radiation of some other (invisible) wavelength.

Specialized synonyms: Autofluorescence, Phosphorescence
Generic synonyms: Light, Visible Light, Visible Radiation
Derivative terms: Fluoresce, Fluorescent

Definition of Fluorescence

1. n. That property which some transparent bodies have of producing at their surface, or within their substance, light different in color from the mass of the material, as when green crystals of fluor spar afford blue reflections. It is due not to the difference in the color of a distinct surface layer, but to the power which the substance has of modifying the light incident upon it. The light emitted by fluorescent substances is in general of lower refrangibility than the incident light.

2. n. A property possessed by fluor spar, uranium glass, sulphide of calcium, and many other substances, of glowing without appreciable rise of temperature when exposed to light or to ultra-violet rays, cathode rays, X rays, etc.

Definition of Fluorescence

1. Noun. (physics) The emission of light (or other electromagnetic radiation) by a material when stimulated by the absorption of radiation or of a subatomic particle ¹

2. Noun. The light so emitted ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Fluorescence

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Fluorescence

1. The emission of one or more photons by a molecule or atom activated by the absorption of a quantum of electro magnetic radiation. Typically the emission, that is of longer wavelength than the excitatory radiation, occurs within 10exp 8 seconds: phosphorescence is a phenomenon with a longer or much longer delay in re radiation. Note that rays, X-rays, UV, visible light and IR radiations may all stimulate fluorescence. (25 Jun 1999)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Fluorescence

fluoresce
fluoresced
fluorescein
fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate
fluorescein-conjugated antibody
fluorescein angiography
fluorescein eye examination
fluorescein instillation test
fluorescein isocyanate
fluorescein isothiocyanate
fluorescein sodium
fluorescein string test
fluoresceine
fluoresceines
fluoresceins
fluorescence
fluorescence-activated cell sorter
fluorescence-activated cell sorting
fluorescence energy transfer
fluorescence in situ hybridization
fluorescence microscope
fluorescence microscopy
fluorescence plus Giemsa stain
fluorescence polarization
fluorescence recovery after photobleaching
fluorescence spectroscopy
fluorescence spectrum

Literary usage of Fluorescence

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1883)
"Left to right: phase contrast; phase contrast fluorescence; fluorescence illumination. YOU get versatility like this with Zeiss Fluorescence Microscopes. ..."

2. Journal of the American Chemical Society by American Chemical Society (1879)
"In order to demonstrate that the decrease in fluorescence was not due to the ... O. In this solvent, all the iodinated samples had the same fluorescence ..."

3. Physical Optics by Robert Williams Wood (1905)
"On adding more of the dye the fluorescence retreats towards the region where the light enters the solution, owing to the increased absorption of the rays ..."

4. A Dictionary of Chemistry and the Allied Branches of Other Sciences by Henry Watts (1865)
"When the fluorescence is strong, as with sulphate of quinine, it may be seen ... For more accurate observation and for detecting fluorescence when it exists ..."

5. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London by Royal Society (Great Britain) (1867)
"The extract of the bile and the brain gave a fluorescence nearly equal to one-eighth of a grain of quinine to a litre. The nerves gave rather more ..."

6. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.) (1902)
"Evidence in support of this view will now be presented First, it may be noted that two other vegetable products possessing blue fluorescence in a remarkable ..."

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