A Quantum Biological Switch Based on Superradiance Transitions

Abstract

A linear chain of connected electron sites with two asymmetric sinks, one attached to each end, is used as a simple model of quantum electron transfer in photosynthetic bio-complexes. For a symmetric initial population in the middle of the chain, it is expected that electron transfer is mainly directed towards the strongest coupled sink. However, we show that quantum effects radically change this intuitive "classical" mechanism, so that electron transfer can occur through the weaker coupled sink with maximal efficiency. Using this capability, we show how to design a quantum switch that can transfer an electron to the left or right branch of the chain, by changing the coupling to the sinks. The operational principles of this quantum device can be understood in terms of superradiance transitions and subradiant states. This switching, being a pure quantum effect, can be used as a witness of wave--like behaviour of excitations in molecular chains. When realistic data are used for the photosystem II reaction center, this quantum biological switch is shown to retain its reliability, even at room temperature.

submitted to J. Phys. Chem. C

References in corpus (7)

• Environment-Assisted Quantum Walks in Photosynthetic Energy Transfer
• Dephasing assisted transport: Quantum networks and biomolecules
• Environment-Assisted Quantum Transport
• Nanobatteries in redox-based resistive switches require extension of memristor theory
• Does coherence enhance transport in photosynthesis?
• Superradiance Transition in Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Complexes
• Interplay of superradiance and disorder in the Anderson Model

Cited by in corpus (21)

• A review of progress in the physics of open quantum systems: theory and experiment
• Shielding and localization in presence of long range hopping
• Cooperative Robustness to Static Disorder: Superradiance and localization in a nanoscale ring to model natural light-harvesting systems
• On the existence of superradiant excitonic states in microtubules
• Non-Hermitian Hamiltonian approach to quantum transport in disordered networks with sinks: validity and effectiveness
• Cooperative robustness to dephasing: single-exciton Superradiance in a nanoscale ring to model natural light-harvesting systems
• Interplay of different environments in open quantum systems: Breakdown of the additive approximation
• Opening-Assisted Coherent Transport in the Deep Classical Regime
• Gain and loss in open quantum systems
• Macroscopic coherence as an emergent property in molecular nanotubes
• Collective couplings: rectification and supertransmittance
• Optimal Dephasing for Ballistic Energy Transfer in Disordered Linear Chains
• Superradiance Transition and Nonphotochemical Quenching in Photosynthetic Complexes
• Efficient light harvesting and photon sensing via engineered cooperative effects
• Optimal efficiency of quantum transport in a disordered trimer
• Interaction-free evolving states of a bipartite system
• Bio-inspired natural sunlight-pumped lasers
• Time reversal of a discrete system coupled to a continuum based on non-Hermitian flip
• Dephasing-assisted selective incoherent quantum transport
• Selective Preparation of Collective States in Coupled Quantum Emitters Using the SUPER Excitation Scheme
• Enhancement of quantum transport efficiency in a noisy spin channel