Photobiology of Vision and Photosynthesis

本研究的目的是将经典模型和量子力学模型相结合，研究紫色细菌、蓝藻、绿藻和高等植物中人类视觉色素和捕光复合体的光谱特性，以及这些系统中光吸收后的过程。为此，一些新获得的蛋白质-色素复合体的原子结构将被用来构建物理模型，然后将利用凝聚态和统计物理的概念，通过分子动力学和量子化学进行研究。许多生物已经进化出一种视觉和光合作用装置，以有效地探测和获取光。光与物质，特别是生命物质的相互作用受基础物理学，特别是量子理论的支配。因此，视觉和光合作用都对生物学家和物理学家提出了概念上的挑战。这为物理、化学和生物学之间的跨学科活动提供了真正的机会，也利用了NSF中心的计算资源。因此，对于参与培训的研究生和本科生以及来自这些不同背景的博士后助理来说，存在着特殊的研究培训机会。这些活动将扩大我们集团已有的强有力的外展活动。量子化学可视化工具将被添加到我们小组向20,000多名用户免费分发的领先分子图形软件VMD中，并将与UIUC物理系为儿童举办的巡回科学展览--物理Van.合作开发与“人中的物理，植物中的物理”为主题的实验。该项目得到了生物科学局分子和细胞生物科学部的分子生物物理学计划和数学和物理科学局物理部的支持。

The goal of this research is to combine classical and quantum mechanical modeling to investigate the spectral characteristics of human visual pigments and light harvesting complexes in purple bacteria, cyanobacteria, green algae, and higher plants, as well as study processes in these systems subsequent to light absorption. For this purpose, the newly available atomic structures of some of these protein-pigment complexes will be used to construct physical models, which will then be studied through molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry, employing concepts of condensed matter and statistical physics.Many organisms have evolved a visual and photosynthetic apparatus to efficiently detect and harvest light. Interaction of light with matter, in particular living matter, is governed by fundamental physics, especially quantum theory. As such, vision and photosynthesis both pose conceptual challenges to biologists and physicists alike. This provides genuine opportunities for interdisciplinary activities between physics, chemistry, and biology, making also use of the computational resources at the NSF centers. Accordingly, there exist exceptional research training opportunities for participating graduate and undergraduate students as well as postdoctoral associates arriving from any of these diverse backgrounds. These activities will extend strong outreach activities that already exist in our group. Quantum chemistry visualization tools will be added to the freely available leading molecular graphics software VMD distributed by our group to over 20,000 users and experiments related to the theme "Physics in People, Physics in Plants" will be developed in collaboration with the UIUC Physics Department's traveling science show for children, the Physics Van.This project is supported by the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Division of Physics in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.