[QIP-Sem] QIP seminar, Mon 12/7, 4:00, 36-428, K.Birgitta Whaley

[Peter Shor]

MIT Quantum Information Processing seminar
Monday 12/7 at 4:00 in 36-428
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K.Birgitta Whaley (UC Berkeley)

Quantum Effects in Photosynthesis

Abstract:

The initial light-harvesting step of photosynthesis is known to be exceptionally efficient, transporting absorbed light energy as electronic excitation to the reaction center with near unity efficiency within a few picoseconds. It was recently shown that this process is accompanied by surprisingly long-lived electronic coherences, which prompted speculation that light harvesting complexes might be robust, evolved quantum processors that operate effectively in a highly decohering environment.  I shall present theoretical studies (quant-ph/0905.3787,quant-ph/0910.1847 ) of the quantum dynamics of a prototypical photosynthetic light harvesting complex, the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex that address the nature and extent of two characteristic features of quantum processors, quantum speedup and quantum entanglement, in these biological systems with the help of both generic model and realistic simulations.                                                                        
                

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