title: Vibronically coherent speed-up of the excitation energy transfer in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex.
abstract: We show that underdamped molecular vibrations fuel the efficient excitation energy transfer in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson molecular aggregate under realistic physiological conditions. By employing an environmental fluctuation spectral function derived from experiments, we obtain numerically exact results for the exciton quantum dynamics in the presence of underdamped vibrationally coherent quantum states. Assuming the prominent 180-cm(-1) vibrational mode to be underdamped, additional coherent transport channels for the excitation energy transfer open up and we observe an increase of the transfer speed towards the reaction center by up to 24%.
authors.affiliation: I. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany and The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nalbach
authors.affiliation: I. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany and The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mujica-Martinez
authors.affiliation: I. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany and The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thorwart
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D041883:Chlorobium; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004735:Energy Transfer / Q000502:physiology*; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014732:Vibration
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C086320:FMO bacteriochlorophyll protein, Bacteria; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes