Absorption spectrometer for photophysical Studies of light harvesting in photosynthetic organisms and conjugated polymers

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Our research group has recently received an NSERC discovery grant "Quantum effects in biology and chemistry", which focuses on the study of quantum coherence in marine algae and aims at elucidating the quantum mechanical mechanisms with which solar energy is captured and transmitted through the light-harvesting machinery in these photosynthetic organisms. Compelling evidence on the quantum-mechanical aspect of light-harvesting in nature reported by our group has been featured in New Scientist, Wired, Cosmos, Discover magazine, The Scientist, Science, Scientific American, Science News magazine, CBCnews.ca, etc. as well as the CBC radio show Quirks and Quarks ("Quantum Pond Scum") emphasizing the importance and the interest in this rapidly expanding field. We propose further experiments that could shed light on the evolution of light-harvesting mechanisms by studying a large number of related species of marine algae which exhibit a remarkable diversity in the ways they optimize and regulate their photosynthetic activity in lighting conditions characteristic of their ecosystem. Alongside the curiosity-driven research of photosynthesis, understanding the benefits of quantum-coherent light-harvesting in biological systems in addition to the discovery of structural and functional organization of the photosynthetic apparatus affords the opportunity for mimicry of nature tuned processes in the development and adjustment of energy producing systems.