1
|
Bose A, Walters PL. Impact of Spatial Inhomogeneity on Excitation Energy Transport in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson Complex. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:7663-7673. [PMID: 37647510 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c03062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
The dynamics of the excitation energy transfer (EET) in photosynthetic complexes is an interesting question both from the perspective of fundamental understanding and the research in artificial photosynthesis. Over the past decade, very accurate spectral densities have been developed to capture spatial inhomogeneities in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex. However, challenges persist in numerically simulating these systems, both in terms of parameterizing them and following their dynamics over long periods of time because of long non-Markovian memories. We investigate the dynamics of FMO with the exact treatment of various theoretical spectral densities using the new tensor network path integral-based methods, which are uniquely capable of addressing the difficulty of long memory length and incoherent Förster theory. It is also important to be able to analyze the pathway of EET flow, which can be difficult to identify given the non-trivial structure of connections between bacteriochlorophyll molecules in FMO. We use the recently introduced ideas of relating coherence to population derivatives to analyze the transport process and reveal some new routes of transport. The combination of exact and approximate methods sheds light on the role of coherences in affecting the fine details of the transport and promises to be a powerful toolbox for future exploration of other open systems with quantum transport.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amartya Bose
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India
| | - Peter L Walters
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bose A, Walters PL. Tensor Network Path Integral Study of Dynamics in B850 LH2 Ring with Atomistically Derived Vibrations. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:4095-4108. [PMID: 35732015 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The recently introduced multisite tensor network path integral (MS-TNPI) allows simulation of extended quantum systems coupled to dissipative media. We use MS-TNPI to simulate the exciton transport and the absorption spectrum of a B850 bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) ring. The MS-TNPI network is extended to account for the ring topology of the B850 system. Accurate molecular-dynamics-based description of the molecular vibrations and the protein scaffold is incorporated through the framework of Feynman-Vernon influence functional. To relate the present work with the excitonic picture, an exploration of the absorption spectrum is done by simulating it using approximate and topologically consistent transition dipole moment vectors. Comparison of these numerically exact MS-TNPI absorption spectra are shown with second-order cumulant approximations. The effect of temperature on both the exact and the approximate spectra is also explored.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amartya Bose
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
| | - Peter L Walters
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.,Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Breuil G, Mangaud E, Lasorne B, Atabek O, Desouter-Lecomte M. Funneling dynamics in a phenylacetylene trimer: Coherent excitation of donor excitonic states and their superposition. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:034303. [PMID: 34293889 DOI: 10.1063/5.0056351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Funneling dynamics in conjugated dendrimers has raised great interest in the context of artificial light-harvesting processes. Photoinduced relaxation has been explored by time-resolved spectroscopy and simulations, mainly by semiclassical approaches or referring to open quantum systems methods, within the Redfield approximation. Here, we take the benefit of an ab initio investigation of a phenylacetylene trimer, and in the spirit of a divide-and-conquer approach, we focus on the early dynamics of the hierarchy of interactions. We build a simplified but realistic model by retaining only bright electronic states and selecting the vibrational domain expected to play the dominant role for timescales shorter than 500 fs. We specifically analyze the role of the in-plane high-frequency skeletal vibrational modes involving the triple bonds. Open quantum system non-adiabatic dynamics involving conical intersections is conducted by separating the electronic subsystem from the high-frequency tuning and coupling vibrational baths. This partition is implemented within a robust non-perturbative and non-Markovian method, here the hierarchical equations of motion. We will more precisely analyze the coherent preparation of donor states or of their superposition by short laser pulses with different polarizations. In particular, we extend the π-pulse strategy for the creation of a superposition to a V-type system. We study the relaxation induced by the high-frequency vibrational collective modes and the transitory dissymmetry, which results from the creation of a superposition of electronic donor states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Breuil
- ICGM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Etienne Mangaud
- MSME, Université Gustave Eiffel, UPEC, CNRS, F-77454 Marne-La-Vallée, France
| | | | - Osman Atabek
- Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, Université Paris-Saclay-CNRS, UMR8214, F-91400 Orsay, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pudlák M, Pinčák R. Exciton transfer between LH1 antenna complex and photosynthetic reaction center dimer. J Biol Phys 2021; 47:271-286. [PMID: 34215962 DOI: 10.1007/s10867-021-09576-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The exciton transfer between light-harvesting complex 1(LH1) and photosynthetic reaction center dimer is investigated theoretically. We assume a ring shape structure of the LH1 complex with dimer in the ring centre. The kinetic equations which describe the energy transfer between the antenna complex and reaction center dimer were derived. It was shown that the dimer does not act as a photon trap. There is a weak localization of the exciton on the dimer and there is relatively rapid back exciton transfer from dimer to antenna complex which depends on the number of the pigment molecules in the antenna ring. The relation between the rates of the exciton transfer from the antenna complex to dimer and back transfer from dimer to antenna complex has been derived.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michal Pudlák
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Richard Pinčák
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01, Košice, Slovak Republic.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ueno S, Tanimura Y. Modeling and Simulating the Excited-State Dynamics of a System with Condensed Phases: A Machine Learning Approach. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:3618-3628. [PMID: 33999606 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Simulating the irreversible quantum dynamics of exciton- and electron-transfer problems poses a nontrivial challenge. Because the irreversibility of the system dynamics is a result of quantum thermal activation and dissipation caused by the surrounding environment, it is necessary to include infinite environmental degrees of freedom in the simulation. Because the capabilities of full quantum dynamics simulations that include the surrounding molecular degrees of freedom are limited, employing a system-bath model is a practical approach. In such a model, the dynamics of excitons or electrons are described by a system Hamiltonian, while the other degrees of freedom that arise from the environmental molecules are described by a harmonic oscillator bath (HOB) and system-bath interaction parameters. By extending on a previous study of molecular liquids [ J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2020, 16, 2099], here, we construct a system-bath model for exciton- and electron-transfer problems by means of a machine learning approach. We determine both the system and system-bath interaction parameters, including the spectral distribution of the bath, using the electronic excitation energies obtained from a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulation that is conducted as a function of time. Using the analytical expressions of optical response functions, we calculate linear and two-dimensional electronic spectra (2DES) for indocarbocyanine dimers in methanol. From these results, we demonstrate the capability of our approach to elucidate the nonequilibrium exciton dynamics of a quantum system in a nonintuitive manner.
Collapse
|
6
|
Janković V, Mančal T. Nonequilibrium steady-state picture of incoherent light-induced excitation harvesting. J Chem Phys 2020; 153:244110. [PMID: 33380098 DOI: 10.1063/5.0029918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We formulate a comprehensive theoretical description of excitation harvesting in molecular aggregates photoexcited by weak incoherent radiation. An efficient numerical scheme that respects the continuity equation for excitation fluxes is developed to compute the nonequilibrium steady state (NESS) arising from the interplay between excitation generation, excitation relaxation, dephasing, trapping at the load, and recombination. The NESS is most conveniently described in the so-called preferred basis in which the steady-state excitonic density matrix is diagonal. The NESS properties are examined by relating the preferred-basis description to the descriptions in the site or excitonic bases. Focusing on a model photosynthetic dimer, we find that the NESS in the limit of long trapping time is quite similar to the excited-state equilibrium in which the stationary coherences originate from the excitation-environment entanglement. For shorter trapping times, we demonstrate how the properties of the NESS can be extracted from the time-dependent description of an incoherently driven but unloaded dimer. This relation between stationary and time-dependent pictures is valid, provided that the trapping time is longer than the decay time of dynamic coherences accessible in femtosecond spectroscopy experiments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veljko Janković
- Scientific Computing Laboratory, Center for the Study of Complex Systems, Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tomáš Mančal
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Ke Karlovu 5, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Yan Y, Liu Y, Xing T, Shi Q. Theoretical study of excitation energy transfer and nonlinear spectroscopy of photosynthetic light‐harvesting complexes using the nonperturbative reduced dynamics method. WIRES COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yaming Yan
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Physical Science Laboratory Huairou National Comprehensive Science Center Beijing China
| | - Yanying Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Physical Science Laboratory Huairou National Comprehensive Science Center Beijing China
| | - Tao Xing
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Physical Science Laboratory Huairou National Comprehensive Science Center Beijing China
| | - Qiang Shi
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Physical Science Laboratory Huairou National Comprehensive Science Center Beijing China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mangaud E, Lasorne B, Atabek O, Desouter-Lecomte M. Statistical distributions of the tuning and coupling collective modes at a conical intersection using the hierarchical equations of motion. J Chem Phys 2019; 151:244102. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5128852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Mangaud
- Physicochimie des Electrolytes et des Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux-UMR 8234 Sorbonne Université, F-75252 Paris, France and Laboratoire Collisions Agrégats Réactivité (IRSAMC), Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, UMR 5589, F-31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Benjamin Lasorne
- Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier (ICGM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, F-34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Osman Atabek
- Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay (ISMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, F-91405 Orsay, France
| | - Michèle Desouter-Lecomte
- Institut de Chimie Physique (ICP), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, F-91405 Orsay, France and Département de Chimie, Université de Liège, Sart Tilman, B6, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Rahman H, Kleinekathöfer U. Chebyshev hierarchical equations of motion for systems with arbitrary spectral densities and temperatures. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:244104. [PMID: 31255062 DOI: 10.1063/1.5100102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The time evolution in open quantum systems, such as a molecular aggregate in contact with a thermal bath, still poses a complex and challenging problem. The influence of the thermal noise can be treated using a plethora of schemes, several of which decompose the corresponding correlation functions in terms of weighted sums of exponential functions. One such scheme is based on the hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM), which is built using only certain forms of bath correlation functions. In the case where the environment is described by a complex spectral density or is at a very low temperature, approaches utilizing the exponential decomposition become very inefficient. Here, we utilize an alternative decomposition scheme for the bath correlation function based on Chebyshev polynomials and Bessel functions to derive a HEOM approach up to an arbitrary order in the environmental coupling. These hierarchical equations are similar in structure to the popular exponential HEOM scheme, but are formulated using the derivatives of the Bessel functions. The proposed scheme is tested up to the fourth order in perturbation theory for a two-level system and compared to benchmark calculations for the case of zero-temperature quantum Ohmic and super-Ohmic noise. Furthermore, the benefits and shortcomings of the present Chebyshev-based hierarchical equations are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Rahman
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Madrid-Úsuga D, Susa CE, Reina JH. Room temperature quantum coherence vs. electron transfer in a rhodanine derivative chromophore. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:12640-12648. [PMID: 31155625 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp01398a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Understanding electron transfer in organic molecules is of great interest in quantum materials for light harvesting, energy conversion and integration of molecules into solar cells. This, however, poses the challenge of designing specific optimal molecular structure for which the processes of ultrafast quantum coherence and electron transport are not so well understood. In this work, we investigate subpicosecond time scale quantum dynamics and electron transfer in an efficient electron acceptor rhodanine chromophoric complex. We consider an open quantum system approach to model the complex-solvent interaction, and compute the crossover from weak to strong dissipation on the reduced system dynamics for both a polar (methanol) and a non polar solvent (toluene). We show that the electron transfer rates are enhanced in the strong chromophore-solvent coupling regime, being the highest transfer rates those found at room temperature. Even though the computed dynamics are highly non-Markovian, and they may exhibit a quantum character up to hundreds of femtoseconds, we show that quantum coherence does not necessarily optimise the electron transfer in the chromophore.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Duvalier Madrid-Úsuga
- Centre for Bioinformatics and Photonics (CIBioFi), Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 No. 100-00, Edificio E20 No. 1069, 760032 Cali, Colombia. and Departamento de Física, Universidad del Valle, 760032 Cali, Colombia
| | - Cristian E Susa
- Centre for Bioinformatics and Photonics (CIBioFi), Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 No. 100-00, Edificio E20 No. 1069, 760032 Cali, Colombia. and Departamento de Física y Electrónica, Universidad de Córdoba, 230002 Montería, Colombia.
| | - John H Reina
- Centre for Bioinformatics and Photonics (CIBioFi), Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 No. 100-00, Edificio E20 No. 1069, 760032 Cali, Colombia. and Departamento de Física, Universidad del Valle, 760032 Cali, Colombia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Caycedo-Soler F, Schroeder CA, Autenrieth C, Pick A, Ghosh R, Huelga SF, Plenio MB. Quantum Redirection of Antenna Absorption to Photosynthetic Reaction Centers. J Phys Chem Lett 2017; 8:6015-6021. [PMID: 29185757 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The early steps of photosynthesis involve the photoexcitation of reaction centers (RCs) and light-harvesting (LH) units. Here, we show that the historically overlooked excitonic delocalization across RC and LH pigments results in a redistribution of absorption amplitudes that benefits the absorption cross section of the optical bands associated with the RC of several species. While we prove that this redistribution is robust to the microscopic details of the dephasing between these units in the purple bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum, we are able to show that the redistribution witnesses a more fragile, but persistent, coherent population dynamics which directs excitations from the LH toward the RC units under incoherent illumination and physiological conditions. Even though the redirection does not seem to affect importantly the overall efficiency in photosynthesis, stochastic optimization allows us to delineate clear guidelines and develop simple analytic expressions in order to amplify the coherent redirection in artificial nanostructures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Caycedo-Soler
- Institute of Theoretical Physics and Integrated Quantum Science and Technology IQST, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Christopher A Schroeder
- Institute of Theoretical Physics and Integrated Quantum Science and Technology IQST, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
- Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland and National Institute of Standards and Technology , College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Caroline Autenrieth
- Department of Bioenergetics, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, University of Stuttgart , Pfaffenwaldring 57, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Arne Pick
- Institute of Theoretical Physics and Integrated Quantum Science and Technology IQST, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Robin Ghosh
- Department of Bioenergetics, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, University of Stuttgart , Pfaffenwaldring 57, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Susana F Huelga
- Institute of Theoretical Physics and Integrated Quantum Science and Technology IQST, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Martin B Plenio
- Institute of Theoretical Physics and Integrated Quantum Science and Technology IQST, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Sakamoto S, Tanimura Y. Exciton-Coupled Electron Transfer Process Controlled by Non-Markovian Environments. J Phys Chem Lett 2017; 8:5390-5394. [PMID: 29039960 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b01535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We theoretically investigate an exciton-coupled electron transfer (XCET) process that is conversion of an exciton into a charge transfer state. This conversion happens in an exciton transfer (XT) process, and the electron moves away in an electron transfer (ET) process in multiple environments (baths). This XCET process plays an essential role in the harvesting of solar energy in biological and photovoltaic materials. We develop a practical theoretical model to study the efficiency of the XCET process that occurs either in consecutive or concerted processes under the influence of non-Markovian baths. The role of quantum coherence in the XT-ET system and the baths is investigated using reduced hierarchal equations of motion (HEOM). This model includes independent baths for each XT and ET state, in addition to a XCET bath for the conversion process. We found that, while quantum system-bath coherence is important in the XT and ET processes, coherence between the XT and ET processes must be suppressed in order to realize that an efficient irreversible XCET process through the weak off-diagonal interaction between the XT and ET bridge sites arises from an XCET bath.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Souichi Sakamoto
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University , Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Tanimura
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University , Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Balmer FA, Kopec S, Köppel H, Leutwyler S. Excitonic Splitting and Vibronic Coupling Analysis of the m-Cyanophenol Dimer. J Phys Chem A 2016; 121:73-87. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b10416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Franziska A. Balmer
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse
3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Kopec
- Theoretische
Chemie, Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Horst Köppel
- Theoretische
Chemie, Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Samuel Leutwyler
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse
3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Baghbanzadeh S, Kassal I. Geometry, Supertransfer, and Optimality in the Light Harvesting of Purple Bacteria. J Phys Chem Lett 2016; 7:3804-3811. [PMID: 27610631 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b01779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The remarkable rotational symmetry of the photosynthetic antenna complexes of purple bacteria has long been thought to enhance their light harvesting and excitation energy transport. We study the role of symmetry by modeling hypothetical antennas whose symmetry is broken by altering the orientations of the bacteriochlorophyll pigments. We find that in both LH2 and LH1 complexes, symmetry increases energy transfer rates by enabling the cooperative, coherent process of supertransfer. The enhancement is particularly pronounced in the LH1 complex, whose natural geometry outperforms the average randomized geometry by 5.5 standard deviations, the most significant coherence-related enhancement found in a photosynthetic complex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sima Baghbanzadeh
- Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology , Tehran 11155-9161, Iran
- Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems and School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland , Brisbane Queensland 4072, Australia
- School of Physics, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM) , Tehran 19395-5531, Iran
| | - Ivan Kassal
- Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems and School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland , Brisbane Queensland 4072, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Sener M, Strumpfer J, Singharoy A, Hunter CN, Schulten K. Overall energy conversion efficiency of a photosynthetic vesicle. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27564854 PMCID: PMC5001839 DOI: 10.7554/elife.09541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The chromatophore of purple bacteria is an intracellular spherical vesicle that exists in numerous copies in the cell and that efficiently converts sunlight into ATP synthesis, operating typically under low light conditions. Building on an atomic-level structural model of a low-light-adapted chromatophore vesicle from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, we investigate the cooperation between more than a hundred protein complexes in the vesicle. The steady-state ATP production rate as a function of incident light intensity is determined after identifying quinol turnover at the cytochrome bc1 complex (cytbc1) as rate limiting and assuming that the quinone/quinol pool of about 900 molecules acts in a quasi-stationary state. For an illumination condition equivalent to 1% of full sunlight, the vesicle exhibits an ATP production rate of 82 ATP molecules/s. The energy conversion efficiency of ATP synthesis at illuminations corresponding to 1%–5% of full sunlight is calculated to be 0.12–0.04, respectively. The vesicle stoichiometry, evolutionarily adapted to the low light intensities in the habitat of purple bacteria, is suboptimal for steady-state ATP turnover for the benefit of protection against over-illumination. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09541.001 Photosynthesis, or the conversion of light energy into chemical energy, is a process that powers almost all life on Earth. Plants and certain bacteria share similar processes to perform photosynthesis, though the purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides uses a photosynthetic system that is much less complex than that in plants. Light harvesting inside the bacterium takes place in up to hundreds of compartments called chromatophores. Each chromatophore in turn contains hundreds of cooperating proteins that together absorb the energy of sunlight and convert and store it in molecules of ATP, the universal energy currency of all cells. The chromatophore of primitive purple bacteria provides a model for more complex photosynthetic systems in plants. Though researchers had characterized its individual components over the years, less was known about the overall architecture of the chromatophore and how its many components work together to harvest light energy efficiently and robustly. This knowledge would provide insight into the evolutionary pressures that shaped the chromatophore and its ability to work efficiently at different light intensities. Sener et al. now present a highly detailed structural model of the chromatophore of purple bacteria based on the findings of earlier studies. The model features the position of every atom of the constituent proteins and is used to examine how energy is transferred and converted. Sener et al. describe the sequence of energy conversion steps and calculate the overall energy conversion efficiency, namely how much of the light energy arriving at the microorganism is stored as ATP. These calculations show that the chromatophore is optimized to produce chemical energy at low light levels typical of purple bacterial habitats, and dissipate excess energy to avoid being damaged under brighter light. The chromatophore’s architecture also displays robustness against perturbations of its components. In the future, the approach used by Sener et al. to describe light harvesting in this bacterial compartment can be applied to more complex systems, such as those in plants. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09541.002
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melih Sener
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.,Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States
| | - Johan Strumpfer
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.,Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States
| | - Abhishek Singharoy
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States
| | - C Neil Hunter
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Klaus Schulten
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.,Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.,Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Freiberg A, Chenchiliyan M, Rätsep M, Timpmann K. Spectral and kinetic effects accompanying the assembly of core complexes of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2016; 1857:1727-1733. [PMID: 27514285 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Revised: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In the present work, spectral and kinetic changes accompanying the assembly of the light-harvesting 1 (LH1) complex with the reaction center (RC) complex into monomeric RC-LH1 and dimeric RC-LH1-PufX core complexes of the photosynthetic purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides are systematically studied over the temperature range of 4.5-300K. The samples were interrogated with a combination of optical absorption, hole burning, fluorescence excitation, steady state and picosecond time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Fair additivity of the LH1 and RC absorption spectra suggests rather weak electronic coupling between them. A low-energy tail revealed at cryogenic temperatures in the absorption spectra of both monomeric and dimeric core complexes is proved to be due to the special pair of the RC. At selected excitation intensity and temperature, the fluorescence decay time of core complexes is shown to be a function of multiple factors, most importantly of the presence/absence of RCs, the supramolecular architecture (monomeric or dimeric) of the complexes, and whether the complexes were studied in a native membrane environment or in a detergent - purified state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arvi Freiberg
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwald Str. 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, 51010 Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Manoop Chenchiliyan
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwald Str. 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Margus Rätsep
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwald Str. 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kõu Timpmann
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwald Str. 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Stone JE, Sener M, Vandivort KL, Barragan A, Singharoy A, Teo I, Ribeiro JV, Isralewitz B, Liu B, Goh BC, Phillips JC, MacGregor-Chatwin C, Johnson MP, Kourkoutis LF, Hunter CN, Schulten K. Atomic Detail Visualization of Photosynthetic Membranes with GPU-Accelerated Ray Tracing. PARALLEL COMPUTING 2016; 55:17-27. [PMID: 27274603 PMCID: PMC4890717 DOI: 10.1016/j.parco.2015.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The cellular process responsible for providing energy for most life on Earth, namely photosynthetic light-harvesting, requires the cooperation of hundreds of proteins across an organelle, involving length and time scales spanning several orders of magnitude over quantum and classical regimes. Simulation and visualization of this fundamental energy conversion process pose many unique methodological and computational challenges. We present, in two accompanying movies, light-harvesting in the photosynthetic apparatus found in purple bacteria, the so-called chromatophore. The movies are the culmination of three decades of modeling efforts, featuring the collaboration of theoretical, experimental, and computational scientists. We describe the techniques that were used to build, simulate, analyze, and visualize the structures shown in the movies, and we highlight cases where scientific needs spurred the development of new parallel algorithms that efficiently harness GPU accelerators and petascale computers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John E Stone
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Melih Sener
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Kirby L Vandivort
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Angela Barragan
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Abhishek Singharoy
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Ivan Teo
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 W Green St, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - João V Ribeiro
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Barry Isralewitz
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Bo Liu
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Boon Chong Goh
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 W Green St, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - James C Phillips
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Craig MacGregor-Chatwin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
| | - Matthew P Johnson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, 271 Clark Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA; Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Sciences, 420 Physical Sciences Building, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - C Neil Hunter
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
| | - Klaus Schulten
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 W Green St, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Baghbanzadeh S, Kassal I. Distinguishing the roles of energy funnelling and delocalization in photosynthetic light harvesting. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:7459-67. [PMID: 26899714 DOI: 10.1039/c6cp00104a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Photosynthetic complexes improve the transfer of excitation energy from peripheral antennas to reaction centers in several ways. In particular, a downward energy funnel can direct excitons in the right direction, while coherent excitonic delocalization can enhance transfer rates through the cooperative phenomenon of supertransfer. However, isolating the role of purely coherent effects is difficult because any change to the delocalization also changes the energy landscape. Here, we show that the relative importance of the two processes can be determined by comparing the natural light-harvesting apparatus with counterfactual models in which the delocalization and the energy landscape are altered. Applied to the example of purple bacteria, our approach shows that although supertransfer does enhance the rates somewhat, the energetic funnelling plays the decisive role. Because delocalization has a minor role (and is sometimes detrimental), it is most likely not adaptive, being a side-effect of the dense chlorophyll packing that evolved to increase light absorption per reaction center.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sima Baghbanzadeh
- Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran and Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems, Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, and School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Ivan Kassal
- Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems, Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, and School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Popescu B, Rahman H, Kleinekathöfer U. Chebyshev Expansion Applied to Dissipative Quantum Systems. J Phys Chem A 2016; 120:3270-7. [PMID: 26845380 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.5b12237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To determine the dynamics of a molecular aggregate under the influence of a strongly time-dependent perturbation within a dissipative environment is still, in general, a challenge. The time-dependent perturbation might be, for example, due to external fields or explicitly treated fluctuations within the environment. Methods to calculate the dynamics in these cases do exist though some of these approaches assume that the corresponding correlation functions can be written as a weighted sum of exponentials. One such theory is the hierarchical equations of motion approach. If the environment, however, is described by a complex spectral density or if its temperature is low, these approaches become very inefficient. Therefore, we propose a scheme based on a Chebyshev decomposition of the bath correlation functions and detail the respective quantum master equations within second-order perturbation theory in the environmental coupling. Similar approaches have recently been proposed for systems coupled to Fermionic reservoirs. The proposed scheme is tested for a simple two-level system and compared to existing results. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of the present Chebyshev approach are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bogdan Popescu
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen , Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Hasan Rahman
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen , Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen , Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Tubasum S, Torbjörnsson M, Yadav D, Camacho R, Söderlind G, Scheblykin IG, Pullerits T. Protein Configuration Landscape Fluctuations Revealed by Exciton Transition Polarizations in Single Light Harvesting Complexes. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:724-32. [PMID: 26741912 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b12466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Protein is a flexible material with broad distribution of conformations forming an energy landscape of quasi-stationary states. Disentangling the system dynamics along this landscape is the key for understanding the functioning of the protein. Here we studied a photosynthetic antenna pigment-protein complex LH2 with single molecule two-dimensional polarization imaging. Modeling based on the Redfield relaxation theory well describes the observed polarization properties of LH2 fluorescence and fluorescence excitation, strongly suggesting that at 77 K the conformational subspace of the LH2 is limited to about three configurations with relatively frequent switching among each other. At room temperature the next level of fluctuations determines the conformational dynamics. The results support the multitier model of the energy landscape of proteins and demonstrate the potential of the method for the studies of structural dynamics in proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sumera Tubasum
- Division of Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden.,Division of Numerical Analysis, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Magne Torbjörnsson
- Division of Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden.,Division of Numerical Analysis, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Dheerendra Yadav
- Division of Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden.,Division of Numerical Analysis, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Rafael Camacho
- Division of Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden.,Division of Numerical Analysis, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Gustaf Söderlind
- Division of Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden.,Division of Numerical Analysis, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Ivan G Scheblykin
- Division of Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden.,Division of Numerical Analysis, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Tõnu Pullerits
- Division of Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden.,Division of Numerical Analysis, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Lund University , Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Schroeder CA, Caycedo-Soler F, Huelga SF, Plenio MB. Optical Signatures of Quantum Delocalization over Extended Domains in Photosynthetic Membranes. J Phys Chem A 2015; 119:9043-50. [PMID: 26256512 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.5b04804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The prospect of coherent dynamics and excitonic delocalization across several light-harvesting structures in photosynthetic membranes is of considerable interest, but challenging to explore experimentally. Here we demonstrate theoretically that the excitonic delocalization across extended domains involving several light-harvesting complexes can lead to unambiguous signatures in the optical response, specifically, linear absorption spectra. We characterize, under experimentally established conditions of molecular assembly and protein-induced inhomogeneities, the optical absorption in these arrays from polarized and unpolarized excitation, and demonstrate that it can be used as a diagnostic tool to determine the resonance coupling between iso-energetic light-harvesting structures. The knowledge of these couplings would then provide further insight into the dynamical properties of transfer, such as facilitating the accurate determination of Förster rates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Schroeder
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany.,Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland and National Institute of Standards and Technology , College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Felipe Caycedo-Soler
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Susana F Huelga
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Martin B Plenio
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Ottiger P, Köppel H, Leutwyler S. Excitonic splittings in molecular dimers: why static ab initio calculations cannot match them. Chem Sci 2015; 6:6059-6068. [PMID: 29435210 PMCID: PMC5802277 DOI: 10.1039/c5sc02546j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
After decades of research on molecular excitons, only few molecular dimers are available on which exciton and vibronic coupling theories can be rigorously tested. In centrosymmetric H-bonded dimers consisting of identical (hetero)aromatic chromophores, the monomer electronic transition dipole moment vectors subtract or add, yielding S0 → S1 and S0 → S2 transitions that are symmetry-forbidden or -allowed, respectively. Symmetry breaking by 12C/13C or H/D isotopic substitution renders the forbidden transition weakly allowed. The excitonic coupling (Davydov splitting) can then be measured between the S0 → S1 and S0 → S2 vibrationless bands. We discuss the mass-specific excitonic spectra of five H-bonded dimers that are supersonically cooled to a few K and investigated using two-color resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy. The excitonic splittings Δcalc predicted by ab initio methods are 5-25 times larger than the experimental excitonic splittings Δexp. The purely electronic ab initio splittings need to be reduced ("quenched"), reflecting the coupling of the electronic transition to the optically active vibrations of the monomers. The so-called quenching factors Γ < 1 can be determined from experiment (Γexp) and/or calculation (Γcalc). The vibronically quenched splittings Γ·Δcalc are found to nicely reproduce the experimental exciton splittings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Ottiger
- Dept. für Chemie und Biochemie , Freiestrasse 3 , CH-3012 Bern , Switzerland . ; ; Tel: +41 31 631 4479
| | - Horst Köppel
- Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut , Universität Heidelberg , Im Neuenheimer Feld 229 , D-69120 Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Samuel Leutwyler
- Dept. für Chemie und Biochemie , Freiestrasse 3 , CH-3012 Bern , Switzerland . ; ; Tel: +41 31 631 4479
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Chen L, Shenai P, Zheng F, Somoza A, Zhao Y. Optimal Energy Transfer in Light-Harvesting Systems. Molecules 2015; 20:15224-72. [PMID: 26307957 PMCID: PMC6332264 DOI: 10.3390/molecules200815224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Photosynthesis is one of the most essential biological processes in which specialized pigment-protein complexes absorb solar photons, and with a remarkably high efficiency, guide the photo-induced excitation energy toward the reaction center to subsequently trigger its conversion to chemical energy. In this work, we review the principles of optimal energy transfer in various natural and artificial light harvesting systems. We begin by presenting the guiding principles for optimizing the energy transfer efficiency in systems connected to dissipative environments, with particular attention paid to the potential role of quantum coherence in light harvesting systems. We will comment briefly on photo-protective mechanisms in natural systems that ensure optimal functionality under varying ambient conditions. For completeness, we will also present an overview of the charge separation and electron transfer pathways in reaction centers. Finally, recent theoretical and experimental progress on excitation energy transfer, charge separation, and charge transport in artificial light harvesting systems is delineated, with organic solar cells taken as prime examples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lipeng Chen
- Division of Materials Science, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue,Singapore 639798, Singapore.
| | - Prathamesh Shenai
- Division of Materials Science, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue,Singapore 639798, Singapore.
| | - Fulu Zheng
- Division of Materials Science, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue,Singapore 639798, Singapore.
| | - Alejandro Somoza
- Division of Materials Science, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue,Singapore 639798, Singapore.
| | - Yang Zhao
- Division of Materials Science, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue,Singapore 639798, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Shrestha K, Jakubikova E. Ground-State Electronic Structure of RC-LH1 and LH2 Pigment Assemblies of Purple Bacteria via the EBF-MO Method. J Phys Chem A 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.5b05644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kushal Shrestha
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Elena Jakubikova
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Levi F, Mostarda S, Rao F, Mintert F. Quantum mechanics of excitation transport in photosynthetic complexes: a key issues review. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2015; 78:082001. [PMID: 26194028 DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/78/8/082001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
For a long time microscopic physical descriptions of biological processes have been based on quantum mechanical concepts and tools, and routinely employed by chemical physicists and quantum chemists. However, the last ten years have witnessed new developments on these studies from a different perspective, rooted in the framework of quantum information theory. The process that more, than others, has been subject of intense research is the transfer of excitation energy in photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, a consequence of the unexpected experimental discovery of oscillating signals in such highly noisy systems. The fundamental interdisciplinary nature of this research makes it extremely fascinating, but can also constitute an obstacle to its advance. Here in this review our objective is to provide an essential summary of the progress made in the theoretical description of excitation energy dynamics in photosynthetic systems from a quantum mechanical perspective, with the goal of unifying the language employed by the different communities. This is initially realized through a stepwise presentation of the fundamental building blocks used to model excitation transfer, including protein dynamics and the theory of open quantum system. Afterwards, we shall review how these models have evolved as a consequence of experimental discoveries; this will lead us to present the numerical techniques that have been introduced to quantitatively describe photo-absorbed energy dynamics. Finally, we shall discuss which mechanisms have been proposed to explain the unusual coherent nature of excitation transport and what insights have been gathered so far on the potential functional role of such quantum features.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Levi
- FRIAS, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Albert-Ludgwigs Universität Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Chandler DE, Strümpfer J, Sener M, Scheuring S, Schulten K. Light harvesting by lamellar chromatophores in Rhodospirillum photometricum. Biophys J 2015; 106:2503-10. [PMID: 24896130 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Revised: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Purple photosynthetic bacteria harvest light using pigment-protein complexes which are often arranged in pseudo-organelles called chromatophores. A model of a chromatophore from Rhodospirillum photometricum was constructed based on atomic force microscopy data. Molecular-dynamics simulations and quantum-dynamics calculations were performed to characterize the intercomplex excitation transfer network and explore the interplay between close-packing and light-harvesting efficiency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle E Chandler
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Johan Strümpfer
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Melih Sener
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Simon Scheuring
- U1006 INSERM, Aix-Marseille Université, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy, 163 avenue de Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Klaus Schulten
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Beyer SR, Müller L, Southall J, Cogdell RJ, Ullmann GM, Köhler J. The open, the closed, and the empty: time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and computational analysis of RC-LH1 complexes from Rhodopseudomonas palustris. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:1362-73. [PMID: 25526393 DOI: 10.1021/jp510822k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
We studied the time-resolved fluorescence of isolated RC-LH1 complexes from Rhodopseudomonas palustris as a function of the photon fluence and the repetition rate of the excitation laser. Both parameters were varied systematically over 3 orders of magnitude. On the basis of a microstate description we developed a quantitative model for RC-LH1 and obtained very good agreement between experiments and elaborate simulations based on a global master equation approach. The model allows us to predict the relative population of RC-LH1 complexes with the special pair in the neutral state or in the oxidized state P(+) and those complexes that lack a reaction center.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian R Beyer
- Experimental Physics IV and Bayreuther Institut für Makromolekülforschung (BIMF), University of Bayreuth , 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Balmer FA, Ottiger P, Leutwyler S. Excitonic Splitting, Delocalization, and Vibronic Quenching in the Benzonitrile Dimer. J Phys Chem A 2014; 118:11253-61. [DOI: 10.1021/jp509626b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Franziska A. Balmer
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Ottiger
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Leutwyler
- Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Jang S, Hoyer S, Fleming G, Whaley KB. Generalized master equation with non-Markovian multichromophoric Förster resonance energy transfer for modular exciton densities. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 113:188102. [PMID: 25396397 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.113.188102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A generalized master equation (GME) governing quantum evolution of modular exciton density (MED) is derived for large scale light harvesting systems composed of weakly interacting modules of multiple chromophores. The GME-MED offers a practical framework to incorporate real time coherent quantum dynamics calculations of small length scales into dynamics over large length scales, and also provides a non-Markovian generalization and rigorous derivation of the Pauli master equation employing multichromophoric Förster resonance energy transfer rates. A test of the GME-MED for four sites of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex demonstrates how coherent dynamics of excitonic populations over coupled chromophores can be accurately described by transitions between subgroups (modules) of delocalized excitons. Application of the GME-MED to the exciton dynamics between a pair of light harvesting complexes in purple bacteria demonstrates its promise as a computationally efficient tool to investigate large scale exciton dynamics in complex environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seogjoo Jang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, New York 11367, USA
| | - Stephan Hoyer
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Graham Fleming
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - K Birgitta Whaley
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Hughes KH, Cahier B, Martinazzo R, Tamura H, Burghardt I. Non-Markovian reduced dynamics of ultrafast charge transfer at an oligothiophene–fullerene heterojunction. Chem Phys 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2014.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
31
|
DePaoli HC, Borland AM, Tuskan GA, Cushman JC, Yang X. Synthetic biology as it relates to CAM photosynthesis: challenges and opportunities. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2014; 65:3381-93. [PMID: 24567493 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eru038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
To meet future food and energy security needs, which are amplified by increasing population growth and reduced natural resource availability, metabolic engineering efforts have moved from manipulating single genes/proteins to introducing multiple genes and novel pathways to improve photosynthetic efficiency in a more comprehensive manner. Biochemical carbon-concentrating mechanisms such as crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), which improves photosynthetic, water-use, and possibly nutrient-use efficiency, represent a strategic target for synthetic biology to engineer more productive C3 crops for a warmer and drier world. One key challenge for introducing multigene traits like CAM onto a background of C3 photosynthesis is to gain a better understanding of the dynamic spatial and temporal regulatory events that underpin photosynthetic metabolism. With the aid of systems and computational biology, vast amounts of experimental data encompassing transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics can be related in a network to create dynamic models. Such models can undergo simulations to discover key regulatory elements in metabolism and suggest strategic substitution or augmentation by synthetic components to improve photosynthetic performance and water-use efficiency in C3 crops. Another key challenge in the application of synthetic biology to photosynthesis research is to develop efficient systems for multigene assembly and stacking. Here, we review recent progress in computational modelling as applied to plant photosynthesis, with attention to the requirements for CAM, and recent advances in synthetic biology tool development. Lastly, we discuss possible options for multigene pathway construction in plants with an emphasis on CAM-into-C3 engineering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henrique C DePaoli
- BioSciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6422, USA
| | - Anne M Borland
- BioSciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6422, USA School of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Gerald A Tuskan
- BioSciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6422, USA
| | - John C Cushman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MS330, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0330, USA
| | - Xiaohan Yang
- BioSciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6422, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Zhang L, Silva DA, Zhang H, Yue A, Yan Y, Huang X. Dynamic protein conformations preferentially drive energy transfer along the active chain of the photosystem II reaction centre. Nat Commun 2014; 5:4170. [PMID: 24954746 PMCID: PMC4083425 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
One longstanding puzzle concerning photosystem II, a core component of photosynthesis, is that only one of the two symmetric branches in its reaction centre is active in electron transfer. To investigate the effect of the photosystem II environment on the preferential selection of the energy transfer pathway (a prerequisite for electron transfer), we have constructed an exciton model via extensive molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations based on a recent X-ray structure. Our results suggest that it is essential to take into account an ensemble of protein conformations to accurately compute the site energies. We identify the cofactor CLA606 of active chain as the most probable site for the energy excitation. We further pinpoint a number of charged protein residues that collectively lower the CLA606 site energy. Our work provides insights into the understanding of molecular mechanisms of the core machinery of the green-plant photosynthesis. Cofactor-mediated energy and electron transfer in photosystem II occurs preferentially through one branch of the reaction centre, despite there being a symmetric path available. Here, the authors use computational methods to determine the influence of protein conformation on this selectivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Daniel-Adriano Silva
- 1] Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong [2]
| | - Houdao Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Alexander Yue
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - YiJing Yan
- 1] Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong [2] Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Xuhui Huang
- 1] Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong [2] Division of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong [3] Centre of Systems Biology and Human Health, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Gelin MF, Tanimura Y, Domcke W. Simulation of femtosecond “double-slit” experiments for a chromophore in a dissipative environment. J Chem Phys 2013; 139:214302. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4832876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
|
34
|
Kato A, Tanimura Y. Quantum Suppression of Ratchet Rectification in a Brownian System Driven by a Biharmonic Force. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:13132-44. [DOI: 10.1021/jp403056h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Akihito Kato
- Department
of Chemistry, Graduate
School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8502,
Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Tanimura
- Department
of Chemistry, Graduate
School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8502,
Japan
- Universität Augsburg, Institut für Physik, Universitätsstrasse
1, 86135 Augsburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Novoderezhkin V, van Grondelle R. Spectra and Dynamics in the B800 Antenna: Comparing Hierarchical Equations, Redfield and Förster Theories. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:11076-90. [DOI: 10.1021/jp400957t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Novoderezhkin
- A. N. Belozersky Institute
of
Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Rienk van Grondelle
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy,
Faculty of Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Johnson N, Zhao G, Caycedo F, Manrique P, Qi H, Rodriguez F, Quiroga L. Extreme alien light allows survival of terrestrial bacteria. Sci Rep 2013; 3:2198. [PMID: 23852157 PMCID: PMC3711049 DOI: 10.1038/srep02198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2013] [Accepted: 06/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic organisms provide a crucial coupling between the Sun's energy and metabolic processes supporting life on Earth. Searches for extraterrestrial life focus on seeking planets with similar incident light intensities and environments. However the impact of abnormal photon arrival times has not been considered. Here we present the counterintuitive result that broad classes of extreme alien light could support terrestrial bacterial life whereas sources more similar to our Sun might not. Our detailed microscopic model uses state-of-the-art empirical inputs including Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images. It predicts a highly nonlinear survivability for the basic lifeform Rsp. Photometricum whereby toxic photon feeds get converted into a benign metabolic energy supply by an interplay between the membrane's spatial structure and temporal excitation processes. More generally, our work suggests a new handle for manipulating terrestrial photosynthesis using currently-available extreme value statistics photon sources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neil Johnson
- Physics Department, University of Miami, Florida FL 33126, U.S.A.
| | - Guannan Zhao
- Physics Department, University of Miami, Florida FL 33126, U.S.A.
| | | | - Pedro Manrique
- Physics Department, University of Miami, Florida FL 33126, U.S.A.
| | - Hong Qi
- Physics Department, University of Miami, Florida FL 33126, U.S.A.
| | - Ferney Rodriguez
- Departamento de Fisica, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Luis Quiroga
- Departamento de Fisica, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
| |
Collapse
|