Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.101, No.37, 7221-7226, 1997
On the Nature of Energy-Transfer at Low-Temperatures in the Bchl a Pigment-Protein Complex of Green Sulfur Bacteria
The technique of accumulated photon echoes was used to study optical dephasing of the lowest Q(Y) transitions of the bacteriochlorophyll a complex of the green sulfur bacteria Prosthecochloris aestuarii. Variations in the photon echo decay as a function of wavelength are interpreted in terms of (phonon-assisted) downward relaxation within the Q(Y) manifold as a mechanism of energy transfer at the lowest temperatures. A temperature dependence study revealed contributions to the total dephasing both from transitions within so-called two level systems (TLS) of the host as well as activation of transitions to higher electronic levels within the Q(Y) manifold at temperatures above 5 K. Conclusions are drawn about the nature of energy transfer at low temperatures.
Keywords:BACTERIOCHLOROPHYLL-A-PROTEIN;LIGHT-HARVESTING COMPLEX;PHOTON-ECHO EXPERIMENTS;PROSTHECOCHLORIS-AESTUARII;CHLOROBIUM-TEPIDUM;OPTICAL-SPECTRA;PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIA;MOLECULAR PAIRS;DIMER STATES;SPECTROSCOPY