Abstract
How could quantum mechanics possibly be important in biology We will discuss this question in the light of recent experiments that suggest that quantum mechanics - or at least coherence - is at play after photosynthesis is initiated by light. First, we give a brief description of light harvesting in photosynthesis. We follow this with an introduction to two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy, in which we demonstrate how this spectroscopic technique can be used to indicate coherent contributions to energy transfer dynamics. As a final point, we focus on the possible role that coherence may play in photosynthetic biological systems.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 14-25 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | BioScience |
Volume | 64 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2014 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Keywords
- coherence
- energy transfer
- femtosecond spectroscopy
- light harvesting
- photosynthesis