Temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesis
Photosynthetic systems utilize adaptability to respond efficiently to fluctuations in their light environment. As a result, large photosynthetic yields can be achieved in conditions of low light intensity, while photoprotection mechanisms are activated in conditions of elevated light intensity. In s...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2020-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab99e0 |
| _version_ | 1797750406625886208 |
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| author | Adriana M De Mendoza Felipe Caycedo-Soler Susana F Huelga Martin B Plenio |
| author_facet | Adriana M De Mendoza Felipe Caycedo-Soler Susana F Huelga Martin B Plenio |
| author_sort | Adriana M De Mendoza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Photosynthetic systems utilize adaptability to respond efficiently to fluctuations in their light environment. As a result, large photosynthetic yields can be achieved in conditions of low light intensity, while photoprotection mechanisms are activated in conditions of elevated light intensity. In sharp contrast with these observations, current theoretical models predict bacterial cell death for physiologically high light intensities. To resolve this discrepancy, we consider a unified framework to describe three stages of photosynthesis in natural conditions, namely light absorption, exciton transfer and charge separation dynamics, to investigate the relationship between the statistical features of thermal light and the Quinol production in bacterial photosynthesis. This approach allows us to identify a mechanism of photoprotection that relies on charge recombination facilitated by the photon bunching statistics characteristic of thermal sunlight. Our results suggest that the flexible design underpinning natural photosynthesis may therefore rely on exploiting the temporal correlations of thermal light, manifested in photo-bunching patterns, which are preserved for excitations reaching the reaction center. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:32:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-35c5a572b8314b45b1a6e5284de3e0f2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:32:15Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-35c5a572b8314b45b1a6e5284de3e0f22023-08-08T15:24:22ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302020-01-0122707304210.1088/1367-2630/ab99e0Temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesisAdriana M De Mendoza0Felipe Caycedo-Soler1Susana F Huelga2Martin B Plenio3Physics Department, Universidad de Los Andes , A.A. 4976 Bogotá, Colombia; OncoRay—National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital C. G. Carus , TU Dresden, HZDR, Dresden, GermanyInstitut für Theoretische Physik and IQST, Universität Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, GermanyInstitut für Theoretische Physik and IQST, Universität Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, GermanyInstitut für Theoretische Physik and IQST, Universität Ulm , Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, GermanyPhotosynthetic systems utilize adaptability to respond efficiently to fluctuations in their light environment. As a result, large photosynthetic yields can be achieved in conditions of low light intensity, while photoprotection mechanisms are activated in conditions of elevated light intensity. In sharp contrast with these observations, current theoretical models predict bacterial cell death for physiologically high light intensities. To resolve this discrepancy, we consider a unified framework to describe three stages of photosynthesis in natural conditions, namely light absorption, exciton transfer and charge separation dynamics, to investigate the relationship between the statistical features of thermal light and the Quinol production in bacterial photosynthesis. This approach allows us to identify a mechanism of photoprotection that relies on charge recombination facilitated by the photon bunching statistics characteristic of thermal sunlight. Our results suggest that the flexible design underpinning natural photosynthesis may therefore rely on exploiting the temporal correlations of thermal light, manifested in photo-bunching patterns, which are preserved for excitations reaching the reaction center.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab99e0bacterial photosynthesischarge transferthermal lightphotoprotection |
| spellingShingle | Adriana M De Mendoza Felipe Caycedo-Soler Susana F Huelga Martin B Plenio Temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesis New Journal of Physics bacterial photosynthesis charge transfer thermal light photoprotection |
| title | Temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesis |
| title_full | Temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesis |
| title_fullStr | Temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesis |
| title_short | Temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesis |
| title_sort | temporal correlations of sunlight may assist photoprotection in bacterial photosynthesis |
| topic | bacterial photosynthesis charge transfer thermal light photoprotection |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab99e0 |
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