Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
Equivalence of quantum and classical coherence in electronic energy transfer
John S Briggs1, Alexander Eisfeld
1Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany. briggs@physik.uni-freiburg.de
Abstract:
To investigate the effect of quantum coherence on electronic energy transfer, which is the subject of current interest in photosynthesis, we solve the problem of transport for the simplest model of an aggregate of monomers interacting through dipole-dipole forces using both quantum and classical dynamics. We conclude that for realistic coupling strengths quantum and classical coherent transport are identical. This is demonstrated by numerical calculations for a linear chain and for the photosynthetic Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex.
Related Concept Videos
The de Broglie Wavelength
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
The Bohr Model
Emission Spectra
Energy Carried By Electromagnetic Waves
π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview

