General Aspects -- Comparative Analysis of Fluorescence Reporter Signals Based on Intensity, Anisotropy, Time-Resolution, and Wavelength-Ratiometry -- Design of Organic Dyes -- Optimized UV/Visible Fluorescent Markers -- Long-Wavelength Probes and Labels Based on Cyanines and Squaraines -- Two-Photon Absorption in Near-IR Conjugated Molecules: Design Strategy and Structure–Property Relations -- Discovery of New Fluorescent Dyes: Targeted Synthesis or Combinatorial Approach? -- Organic Dyes with Response Function -- Physical Principles Behind Spectroscopic Response of Organic Fluorophores to Intermolecular Interactions -- Organic Dyes with Excited-State Transformations (Electron, Charge, and Proton Transfers) -- Dyes with Segmental Mobility: Molecular Rotors -- Electrochromism and Solvatochromism in Fluorescence Response of Organic Dyes: A Nanoscopic View -- Electric Field Sensitive Dyes -- Fluorophores of visible Fluorescent Proteins -- Photophysics and Spectroscopy of Fluorophores in the Green Fluorescent Protein Family.

This volume is focused on one of the most important challenges in sensing and imaging technologies: the design of fluorescence reporters with advanced properties. Here organic dyes occupy leading positions, in tough competition with novel materials such as metal chelating complexes and semiconductor nanoparticles. 11 chapters written by top experts in the field show new possibilities in the design of organic dyes as fluorescent labels and reporters. They particularly highlight the progress that has been made in enhancing the response to intermolecular interactions and their excited-state reaction dynamics (intramolecular charge and proton transfers), and on the development of dyes with strong two-photon absorption and emitting in the near-IR region. Furthermore, fluorophores incorporated into new members of the green fluorescent protein family, an invaluable tool for live cell imaging, are examined.