Patent ID: 7599059

Claim:
A method for analyzing properties of one or more species that are labeled with fluorophores, said method comprising the steps of: using a detector to detect a plurality of photons that are emitted in a photon stream from a species that is labeled with a fluorophore located in a detection volume wherein each of said photons arrives at said detector at an arrival time; determining the arrival time of each of said photons in said plurality of photons; identifying the intervals between the arrival time of a given photon and the arrival time of other photons in said plurality of photons to thereby provide photon pair intervals that are a measure of the time between the arrival of each pair of photons in said plurality of photons; determining the number of photons that have arrival times that are within said photon pair intervals to provide a measure of intervening photons located within said photon pair intervals; and calculating properties of said species that are located in said detection volume based on a relationship between said photon pair intervals and said measure of intervening photons.