title: Transform-limited-pulse representation of excitation with natural incoherent light.
abstract: The excitation of molecular systems by natural incoherent light relevant, for example, to photosynthetic light-harvesting is examined. We show that the result of linear excitation with natural incoherent light can be obtained using incident light described in terms of transform limited pulses, as opposed to conventional classical representations with explicit random character. The derived expressions allow for computations to be done directly for any thermal light spectrum using a simple wave function formalism and provide a route to the experimental determination of natural incoherent excitation using pulsed laser techniques. Pulses associated with solar and cosmic microwave background radiation are provided as examples.
authors.affiliation: Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, and Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Control, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada.
authors.forename: Aurélia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chenu
authors.affiliation: Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, and Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Control, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brumer
mesh_terms: D008027:Light; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry*; D010788:Photosynthesis
chemical_list: D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes