Dynamics of Energy Transfer and Trapping in Photosynthesis

在这个由化学系实验物理化学项目支持的项目中，芝加哥大学分子遗传学和细胞生物学系的格雷厄姆·弗莱明和劳伦·梅茨将对光合作用的能量传递和电子传递进行实验和理论研究。PIS将利用超快非线性光谱学研究光合作用天线分子中色素分子之间的激发转移，这一过程发生在飞秒时间尺度和更长的时间尺度上。理论模型将被构建来帮助解释诸如振动能量和相松弛速率等动力学数据。这项研究的目的是描述发色团之间的相互作用，分子的光吸收部分，以及这些相互作用的强度和它们发生的时间尺度。这些研究应该有助于理解植物和光合细菌光合作用的非凡效率。

In this project supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Graham Fleming in the Chemistry Department and Lauren Mets in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at the University of Chicago will conduct experimental and theoretical studies of photosynthetic energy- and electron-transfer. The PIs will investigate the transfer of excitation among pigment molecules in photosynthetic antenna molecule, processes which occur on the femtosecond time-scale and longer, using ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy. Theoretical models will be constructed to help explain such dynamical data as the vibrational energy and phase relaxation rates. The goal of this research is to characterize the interactions between chromophores, the light-absorbing parts of molecules, as well as the strength of these interactions and the time scales on which they occur. These studies should help in the understanding of the remarkable efficiency of photosynthesis in both plants and photosynthetic bacteria.