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Photosynthesis’ efficiencies far superior than manmade solar cells

the green pigment chlorophyll 9

Physicists in the US have discovered that photosynthesis-involved electrons in reactions ‘sample’ different energy-level routes in more or less the same way as quantum-computer algorithms can! — at least in theory if not practical it is capable of searching through unsorted databases quickly. Ah! That’s really groundbreaking for both the fields of quantum physics as well as botany.

This discovery may one day explain — how photosynthesis can proceed at efficiencies unparalleled in manmade solar cells?

For mapping the electron-energy levels of a certain strain of chlorophyll, the US team performed a 2D electronic spectroscopy. With its help, they discovered regular variations of signal, capable of sustaining for hundreds of femtoseconds. The physicists interpreted this signals as “quantum beats” that coherently link all the energy levels together.

According to Physics Web, Gregory Engel at the University of California in Berkeley told that this means the excitation can find the optimal route to the reaction centre through random hopping, importantly, without wasting energy. He said,

In effect, the excitation can ‘feel’ these many states at once without having to visit them individually.

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