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arXiv · 1312.4866

Lamb shift in radical-ion pairs produces a singlet-triplet energy splitting in photosynthetic reaction centers

K. M. Vitalis·I. K. Kominis
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Abstract

Radical-ion pairs, fundamental for understanding photosynthesis and the avian magnetic compass, were recently shown to be biological open quantum systems. We here show that the coupling of the radical-pair's spin degrees of freedom to its decohering vibrational reservoir leads to a shift of the radical-pair's magnetic energy levels. The Lamb shift Hamiltonian is diagonal in the singlet-triplet basis, and results in a singlet-triplet energy splitting physically indistinguishable from an exchange interaction. This could have significant implications for understanding the energy level structure and the dynamics of photosynthetic reaction centers.

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K. M. Vitalis, I. K. Kominis. 2013-12-07. Lamb shift in radical-ion pairs produces a singlet-triplet energy splitting in photosynthetic reaction centers. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2014-14187-x

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