Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2025

In Vitro Reconstitution of Light-harvesting Complexes of Plants and Green Algae
Published on: October 10, 2014
Optical cavity-mediated exciton dynamics in photosynthetic light harvesting 2 complexes
Fan Wu1, Daniel Finkelstein-Shapiro1,2, Mao Wang3
1Division of Chemical Physics and NanoLund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Abstract:
Strong light-matter interaction leads to the formation of hybrid polariton states and alters the photophysical dynamics of organic materials and biological systems without modifying their chemical structure. Here, we experimentally investigated a well-known photosynthetic protein, light harvesting 2 complexes (LH2) from purple bacteria under strong coupling with the light mode of a Fabry-Perot optical microcavity. Using femtosecond pump probe spectroscopy, we analyzed the polariton dynamics of the strongly coupled system and observed a significant prolongation of the excited state lifetime compared with the bare exciton, which can be explained in terms of the exciton reservoir model. Our findings indicate the potential of tuning the dynamic of the whole photosynthetic unit, which contains several light harvesting complexes and reaction centers, with the help of strong exciton-photon coupling, and opening the discussion about possible design strategies of artificial photosynthetic devices.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Photosystem II
The pigment molecules are arranged across two photosystem domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment...
The Antenna Complex
Photosystem I
Both these photosystems work in concert. An excited electron from PSII is relayed to PSI via an electron transport chain in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast, which is comprised of the carrier molecule plastoquinone, the dual-protein cytochrome complex, and plastocyanin. As electrons move between PSII and PSI, they lose energy and must be re-energized...
Photosystems
Functioning of Photosystems
Photosystems contain many pigment molecules, such as chlorophylls and carotenoids, arranged in a particular organization across two domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment...
The Photochemical Reaction Center
Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation

