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Photosynthetic exciton theory in the 1960s

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Discoveries in Photosynthesis

Part of the book series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration ((AIPH,volume 20))

Abstract

Theoretical developments in the 1960s concerning the migration of chlorophyll electronic excitation energy through a photosynthetic core antenna to a reaction center are reviewed in three parts. These include the first theory paper whose calculated results were consistent with experiment, the first analytic determination of the mean number of steps in the two-dimensional random walk of a dephased exciton to reach the reaction center, and the first theoretical description of the possible effects of true collective excited states (Frenkel excitons) on the rate of trap-limited migration and trapping. The possible relevance of these developments, particularly the last, to current photosynthesis research is briefly discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46202-3723, USA

    Robert M. Pearlstein

Authors
  1. Robert M. Pearlstein
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA

    Govindjee

  2. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    J. Thomas Beatty

  3. Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Howard Gest

  4. Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    John F. Allen

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© 2005 Springer

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Pearlstein, R.M. (2005). Photosynthetic exciton theory in the 1960s. In: Govindjee, Beatty, J.T., Gest, H., Allen, J.F. (eds) Discoveries in Photosynthesis. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3324-9_13

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