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Title: Vibronic mixing enables ultrafast energy flow in light-harvesting complex II

Journal Article · · Nature Communications

Since the discovery of quantum beats in the two-dimensional electronic spectra of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes over a decade ago, the origin and mechanistic function of these beats in photosynthetic light-harvesting has been extensively debated. The current consensus is that these long-lived oscillatory features likely result from electronic-vibrational mixing, however, it remains uncertain if such mixing significantly influences energy transport. Here, we examine the interplay between the electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom (DoF) during the excitation energy transfer (EET) dynamics of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) with two-dimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopy. Particularly, we show the involvement of the nuclear DoF during EET through the participation of higher-lying vibronic chlorophyll states and assign observed oscillatory features to specific EET pathways, demonstrating a significant step in mapping evolution from energy to physical space. These frequencies correspond to known vibrational modes of chlorophyll, suggesting that electronic-vibrational mixing facilitates rapid EET over moderately size energy gaps.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division; National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; DGE1752814
OSTI ID:
1631639
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 11, Issue 1; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 53 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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