Event

Photosystem I (PSI) is a natural light harvesting complex that catalyzes oxygenic photosynthesis through a trans-membrane electron transfer. It is also known to be one of nature’s most efficient energy converters – having a quantum efficiency of 100%. The high quantum efficiency of PSI has led to many studies focusing on understanding the mechanism of electronic energy transfer and charge separation in this system. In this talk, I will discuss our recent investigations in this area where we have applied two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to PSI complexes and model systems, including boron-dipyrrin (BODIPY) dye derivatives. From our studies on PSI complexes we observe ultrafast energy equilibration among excitonically coupled states. Our findings our supported by experiments performed on model dimeric systems. In the second part of the talk I will discuss our recent ultrafast measurements on BODIPY dye derivatives, molecules that are currently being incorporated into artificial photosynthetic systems.