激子极化子共振束缚介导的光合作用能量传输  

Energy transfer in photosynthesis mediated by resonant confinement of exciton-polariton

作　　者：杨旭云 陈永聪 芦文斌 朱晓梅 敖平[1] Yang Xu-Yun;Chen Yong-Cong;Lu Wen-Bin;Zhu Xiao-Mei;Ao Ping(Shanghai Center for Quantitative Life Sciences,Physics Department,Shanghai University,Shanghai 200444,China)

机构地区：[1]上海大学物理系,上海定量生命科学国际研究中心,上海200444

出　　处：《物理学报》2022年第23期253-261,共9页Acta Physica Sinica

基　　金：国家自然科学基金(批准号:16Z103060007)资助的课题.

摘　　要：光合作用中能量传输的超效率具有非常重要的生物学意义.人们对于它的能量传递机制从未停止探索,量子思想的广泛应用吸引着人们发掘自然现象背后的物理本质.笔者前期采用激子极化子共振束缚介导的能量传输机制成功解释了超高效的人工光合作用实验,这为生物体光合作用的机制提供了一种新的可能性.本文具体研究了高等植物体和绿色硫细菌中进行光合作用的场所,探索集光色素在光腔共振模型的束缚下,其激子极化子可作为中间态介导能量传输.通过充分发挥其双重特性,以激子态形式接收供体吸收的太阳光,光子态形式快速传递到受体,从而实现能量的最大化利用.基于已构建的理论模型,结合实测数据进行数值分析,结果表明该机制能很好地解释光合作用的超高效能量传输过程.The ultra efficiency of energy transfer in photosynthesis has important biological significance.The underlying mechanism of energy transfer has never stopped being explored.Possible roles of quantum mechanics behind the natural phenomenon lead to many explorations in the field.Yet conventional mechanisms based on Förster resonance energy transfer or localized quantum coherence effects face certain challenges in explaining the unusual efficiency.We hereby bring up the attention of the dual properties of wave and particle of quantum mechanics into this context.In a previous research,we attributed the success of a similar efficiency in an artificial photosynthesis experiment to a mechanism mediated by resonant confinement of exciton-polariton.This paper extends the work to biological photosynthesis in higher plants and green sulfur bacteria.We explore specifically whether the exciton-polaritons of light-harvesting pigments,constrained by the optical cavity resonance,can act as intermediate states to mediate energy transfer.Namely,the pigments give a full play to their dual roles,receiving sunlight in the form of particle-like excitons,and rapidly transferring them to the reaction centers in the form of wave-like polaritons for maximal energy utilization.Taking realistic structure and data into account and based on approximate theoretical models,our quantitative estimate shows that such a mechanism is indeed capable of explaining at least partly the efficiency of photosynthesis.With comprehensive discussion,many deficits in the theoretical modeling can be reasonably reduced.Thus the conclusion may be further strengthened by realistic situations.Meanwhile,the underlying approach may also be extended to e.g.photovoltaic applications and neural signal transmissions,offering similar mechanisms for other energy transfer processes.

关 键 词：光合作用 激子极化子 高等植物体 绿色硫细菌 

分 类 号：Q945.11[生物学—植物学]