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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions
Published on: May 27, 2021
Inelastic neutron scattering study of light-induced dynamics of a photosynthetic membrane system
1Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, ETH Zürich and PSI Villigen, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Inelastic neutron scattering was employed to study photoeffects on the molecular dynamics of membranes of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis. The main photoactive parts of this biomolecular system are the chlorophyll molecules whose dynamics were found to be affected under illumination by visible light in a twofold manner. First, vibrational modes are excited at energies of 12(2) and 88(21) cm(-1). Second, a partial "freezing" of rotational modes is observed at energies of 1.2(3) and 2.9(5) cm(-1). These results are attributed to a possible coupling between molecular motions and particular mechanisms in the photosynthetic process.
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