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Register a new userCoherence and Decoherence in Biological Systems: Principles of Noise Assisted Transport and the Origin of Long-lived Coherences
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The quantum dynamics of transport networks in the presence of noisy environments have recently received renewed attention with the discovery of long-lived coherences in different photosynthetic complexes. This experimental evidence has raised two fundamental questions: Firstly, what are the mechanisms supporting long-lived coherences and secondly, how can we assess the possible functional role that the interplay of noise and quantum coherence might play in the seemingly optimal operation of biological systems under natural conditions? Here we review recent results, illuminate them at the hand of two paradigmatic systems, the Fenna-Matthew-Olson (FMO) complex and the light harvesting complex LHII, and present new progress on both questions. In particular we introduce the concept of the phonon antennae and discuss the possible microscopic origin or long-lived electronic coherences.
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Natural and artificial light harvesting processes have recently gained new interest. Signatures of long lasting coherence in spectroscopic signals of biological systems have been repeatedly observed, albeit their origin is a matter of ongoing debate, as it is unclear how the loss of coherence due to interaction with the noisy environments in such systems is averted. Here we report experimental and theoretical verification of coherent exciton-vibrational (vibronic) coupling as the origin of long-lasting coherence in an artificial light harvester, a molecular J-aggregate. In this macroscopically aligned tubular system, polarization controlled 2D spectroscopy delivers an uncongested and specific optical response as an ideal foundation for an in-depth theoretical description. We derive analytical expressions that show under which general conditions vibronic coupling leads to prolonged excited-state coherence.
We analyse the effects of environmental noise in three different biological systems: (i) mating behaviour of individuals of emph{Nezara viridula} (L.) (Heteroptera Pentatomidae); (ii) polymer translocation in crowded solution; (iii) an ecosystem described by a Verhulst model with a multiplicative L{e}vy noise.
A generic and intuitive model for coherent energy transport in multiple minima systems coupled to a quantum mechanical bath is shown. Using a simple spin-boson system, we illustrate how a generic donor-acceptor system can be brought into resonance using a narrow band of vibrational modes, such that the transfer efficiency of an electron-hole pair (exciton) is made arbitrarily high. Coherent transport phenomena in nature are of renewed interest since the discovery that a photon captured by the light-harvesting complex (LHC) in photosynthetic organisms can be conveyed to a chemical reaction centre with near-perfect efficiency. Classical explanations of the transfer use stochastic diffusion to model the hopping motion of a photo-excited exciton. This accounts inadequately for the speed and efficiency of the energy transfer measured in a series of recent landmark experiments. Taking a quantum mechanical perspective can help capture the salient features of the efficient part of that transfer. To show the versatility of the model, we extend it to a multiple minima system comprising seven-sites, reminiscent of the widely studied Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) light-harvesting complex. We show that an idealised transport model for multiple minima coupled to a narrow-band phonon can transport energy with arbitrarily high efficiency.
In this paper we briefly discuss the necessity of using quantum mechanics as a fundamental theory applicable to some key functional aspects of biological systems. This is especially relevant to three important parts of a neuron in the human brain, namely the cell membrane, microtubules (MT) and ion channels. We argue that the recently published papers criticizing the use of quantum theory in these systems are not convincing.
Photosynthesis is the basic process used by plants to convert light energy in reaction centers into chemical energy. The high efficiency of this process is not yet understood today. Using the formalism for the description of open quantum systems by means of a non-Hermitian Hamilton operator, we consider initially the interplay of gain (acceptor) and loss (donor). Near singular points it causes fluctuations of the cross section which appear without any excitation of internal degrees of freedom of the system. This process occurs therefore very quickly and with high efficiency. We then consider the excitation of resonance states of the system by means of these fluctuations. This second step of the whole process takes place much slower than the first one, because it involves the excitation of internal degrees of freedom of the system. The two-step process as a whole is highly efficient and the decay is bi-exponential. We provide, if possible, the results of analytical studies, otherwise characteristic numerical results. The similarities of the obtained results to light harvesting in photosynthetic organisms are discussed.
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