University of Chicago scientists have discovered a better way of measuring troublesome blinking of quantum dots.

The dots, also known as nanocrystals, emit light in a rainbow of colors and are used in lasers, biological studies and other applications. But, their tendency to blink hinders their technological value.

A quantum dot might blink for just a millionth of a second or it might blink for 15 minutes, said Matthew Pelton, a Research Associate at the University of Chicago's James Franck Institute. This is one of the problems we have to solve if we want to engineer the properties of materials, particularly semiconductor materials, on the nanoscale.

Pelton has found a way to measure the blinking that is simpler and faster than the conventional method. He will describe the measurements in the Aug. 2 issue of Applied Physics Letters.

Co-author David Grier compares the light output or noise of a blinking group of quantum dots to the babble of a cocktail party conversation.