Retinal chromophore of rhodopsin photoisomerizes within picoseconds.
A new picosecond resonance Raman technique shows that resonance Raman lines characteristic of a distorted all-trans retinal appear within 30 picoseconds after photolysis of rhodopsin or isorhodopsin. This finding suggests that isomerization is nearly complete within picoseconds of the absorption of a photon.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007536:Isomerism; D007700:Kinetics; D008027:Light; D012168:Retinal Pigments / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012172:Retinaldehyde / Q000528:radiation effects; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D014785:Vision, Ocular; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000031:analogs & derivatives
D012168:Retinal Pigments; D014801:Vitamin A; D012243:Rhodopsin; D012172:Retinaldehyde