Photobiology of Vision and Photosynthesis

本研究的目标是结合经典和量子力学模型来研究紫色细菌、蓝藻、绿藻和高等植物中人类视觉色素和光收集复合物的光谱特征，以及这些系统在光吸收后的过程。为此，一些蛋白质-色素复合物的新原子结构将被用来构建物理模型，然后通过分子动力学和量子化学，利用凝聚态和统计物理的概念来研究这些模型。许多生物已经进化出一种视觉和光合装置来有效地探测和收集光。光与物质的相互作用，特别是与生命物质的相互作用，受基本物理学，特别是量子理论的支配。因此，视觉和光合作用对生物学家和物理学家都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，同时也利用了NSF中心的计算资源。因此，对于来自这些不同背景的研究生和本科生以及博士后来说，都有特殊的研究培训机会。这些活动将扩展我们集团已经存在的强大的外展活动。量子化学可视化工具将被添加到我们集团免费提供的领先分子图形软件VMD中，该软件将分发给超过20,000名用户，并将与UIUC物理系的儿童巡回科学展物理车合作开发与“人中的物理，植物中的物理”主题相关的实验。该项目由生物科学理事会分子和细胞生物科学部的分子生物物理学计划以及数学和物理科学理事会的物理部提供支持。

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.