Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026
09:29
Utilization of Plasmonic and Photonic Crystal Nanostructures for Enhanced Micro- and Nanoparticle Manipulation
Published on: September 27, 2011
12.8K
Exploiting Structured Environments for Efficient Energy Transfer: The Phonon Antenna Mechanism.
Marco Del Rey1, Alex W Chin2, Susana F Huelga3,4
1†Instituto de Física Fundamental, CSIC, Serrano 113-B, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|August 21, 2015
Summary
Quantum coherence and environmental dynamics are key for efficient energy transport in photosynthesis. A new "phonon antenna" design principle optimizes this process in artificial light-harvesting systems.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Quantum Biology
- Photosynthesis Research
Background:
- Efficient energy transport in photosynthetic complexes relies on quantum coherence and environmental interactions.
- Translating these biological mechanisms into artificial light-harvesting systems is a major research focus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and define a specific design principle, the 'phonon antenna,' for optimizing energy transport.
- To investigate how interpigment coherence influences spectral sampling of environmental fluctuations.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations were employed to model energy transport dynamics.
- The Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex in green sulfur bacteria was used as a model system.
Main Results:
- The phonon antenna concept demonstrates how quantum coherence can optimize energy transfer by modifying spectral sampling.
- Simulations suggest the FMO complex operates near an optimal point for this phonon antenna mechanism.
Conclusions:
- The phonon antenna is a viable design principle for enhancing energy transport in artificial light-harvesting systems.
- This principle may be applicable to other biomolecular systems beyond photosynthesis.
More Related Videos
09:51A Polymer-based Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester with a 3D Meshed-Core Structure
Published on: February 20, 2019
26.1K
10:35Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials
Published on: September 26, 2014
12.8K
Related Concept Videos
01:15The Antenna Complex
8.7K
Plants and other photosynthetic organisms comprise pigments capable of absorption of direct sunlight. These pigments are present in the reaction center - the main site of photochemical reactions as well as in the antenna complex. Under average light conditions, the rate at which reaction center pigments absorb light is far below the electron transport chain's capacity. As a result, the reaction center alone cannot provide enough energy to drive photosynthesis. The photosynthetic efficiency can...
8.7K
01:19Mechanism of heat transfer
2.3K
Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...
2.3K
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
2.1K
Heat transfer between the human body and its environment occurs through four main mechanisms: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation.
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
2.1K
01:20Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
5.3K
In convection, thermal energy is carried by the large-scale flow of matter. Ocean currents and large-scale atmospheric circulation, which result from the buoyancy of warm air and water, transfer hot air from the tropics toward the poles and cold air from the poles toward the tropics. The Earth’s rotation interacts with those flows, causing the observed eastward flow of air in the temperate zones. Convection dominates heat transfer by air, and the amount of available space for the airflow...
5.3K
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
7.4K
Just as interesting as the effects of heat transfer on a system are the methods by which the heat transfer occur. Whenever there is a temperature difference, heat transfer occurs. It may occur rapidly, such as through a cooking pan, or slowly, such as through the walls of a picnic ice box. So many processes involve heat transfer that it is hard to imagine a situation where no heat transfer occurs. Yet, every heat transfer takes place by only three methods: conduction, convection, and radiation.
7.4K
01:22Energy Carried By Electromagnetic Waves
4.1K
Anyone who has used a microwave oven knows there is energy in electromagnetic waves. Sometimes, this energy is obvious, such as in the summer sun's warmth. At other times, it is subtle, such as the unfelt energy of gamma rays, which can destroy living cells. Electromagnetic waves bring energy into a system through their electric and magnetic fields. These fields can exert forces and move charges in the system and, thus, do work on them. However, there is energy in an electromagnetic wave,...
4.1K