Triboluminescence Induced in Wint-o-green Life Savers

Triboluminescence is the emission of light generated through mechanical stress of the crystalline sugar lattice structure, causing an electron charge imbalance. Excited electrons attempt to return to a ground state, emitting photons in the process, primarily in the UV region. The primary compound in Wint-o-green flavoring is methyl salicylate which absorbs light at approximately 330nm, and fluoresces at >420nm.

Triboluminescence has such low emission that previously studies have only been made using detectors rather than image arrays. The E9•S SERIES response in this case allows data capture in the microsecond range, opening flexibility to record at hundreds of thousands of frames per second as it needed for short duration emission events.

Imaging

Phil Taylor, Pharsighted

Camera	E9•150S Full Spectrum
Frame Rate	450,000 fps
Exposure Time	1.7µs
Lens	El-Nikkor 135mm f/5.6
Lighting	Backlit Continuous LED