Presentation 

In photosynthesis, sunlight is collected by an antenna, the energy is transferred to the photosynthetic reaction center where charge separation occurs. These processes occur on an ultra-fast time scale and lead to a stable product. The photosynthetic apparatus consists of a complex set of pigment-proteins that perform these delicate processes with quantum efficiency close to 1. The proteins are inherently disordered with fast dynamics, from femtoseconds to seconds. In this project, the PI, R Van Grondelle, wishes to explore how this dynamic protein matrix facilitates or perhaps even drives the primary events of photosynthesis. With his co-investigator Bruno Robert, the PI plans to study four aspects of how the protein matrix may affect this important biological process.
1- We will study whether charge separation in Photosystem 2 occurs along multiple pathways, depending on the realization of the disorder. 2- We will study the possible role of quantum coherence in charge separation in Photosystem 2. 3- We will study how the dynamic protein matrix stabilizes, perhaps even actively, the early charge separation. 4 - We will attempt to discover how functional transitions in photosynthetic proteins are coupled to conformational changes. This project combines a number of state-of-the-art biophysical approaches and in addition aims to develop new techniques: two-dimensional electron spectroscopy and plasmonic wave resonance spectroscopy. The final result will provide a unique insight into how the physics of protein matter manifests itself in biology.