Related papers: Gain and loss in open quantum systems
The hotness of the sun and the coldness of the outer space are inexhaustible thermodynamic resources for human beings. From a thermodynamic point of view, any energy conversion systems that receive energy from the sun and/or dissipate…
We investigate the relevance of dynamic quantum coherence in the energy transfer efficiency of molecular aggregates. We contrast the dynamics after excitation of a quantum mechanical system with that of a classical system. We demonstrate…
Entanglement can modify light-matter interaction effects and, conversely, these interactions can change the non-classical correlations present in the system. We present an example where these mutual connections can be discussed in a simple…
The functioning and efficiency of natural photosynthetic complexes is strongly influenced by their embedding in a noisy protein environment, which can even serve to enhance the transport efficiency. Interactions with the environment induce…
Photons are the ideal carriers of quantum information for communication. Each photon can have a single qubit or even multiple qubits encoded in its internal quantum state, as defined by optical degrees of freedom such as polarization,…
Physical systems in real life are inextricably linked to their surroundings and never completely separated from them. Truly closed systems do not exist. The phenomenon of decoherence, which is brought about by the interaction with the…
Photosynthetic organisms harvest light energy, utilizing the absorption and energy transfer properties of protein-bound chromophores. Controlling the harvesting efficiency is critical for the optimal function of the photosynthetic…
Is there a functional role for quantum mechanics or coherent quantum effects in biological processes? While this question is as old as quantum theory, only recently have measurements on biological systems on ultra-fast time-scales shed…
It is shown that if the wave function of a quantum system undergoes an arbitrary random transformation such that the diagonal elements of the density matrix in the decoherence basis associated with a preferred observable remain constant,…
Excitation transfer through interacting systems plays an important role in many areas of physics, chemistry, and biology. The uncontrollable interaction of the transmission network with a noisy environment is usually assumed to deteriorate…
Energy transfer between chromophores in photosynthesis proceeds with near unity quantum efficiency. Understanding the precise mechanisms of these processes is made difficult by the complexity of the electronic structure and interactions…
The decay of an unstable system is usually described by an exponential law. Quantum mechanics predicts strong deviations of the survival probability from the exponential: indeed, the decay is initially quadratic, while at very large times…
The illumination of catalytic surfaces with a continuous or pulsed stream of photons dynamically modulates surface chemistry for faster rates, higher conversion, or product selectivity control. To establish fundamental principles of dynamic…
We discuss a model of quantum photosynthesis with degeneracy in the light-harvesting system. We consider interaction of excitons in chromophores with light and phonons (vibrations of environment). These interactions have dipole form but are…
A very promising approach to obtain efficient upconversion of light is the use of triplet-triplet annihilation of excitations in molecular systems. In real materials, besides upconversion, many other physical processes take place -…
We consider generation of an electrical pulse by an optical pulse in the ``virtual excitation'' regime. The electronic system, which is any electro-optic material including a quantum well structure biased by a dc electric field, is assumed…
Using a formalism adapted to study transport in quantum open systems, that is the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism, we revisit the working principle of the most popular photosynthetic complex, namely the Fenna Matthews-Olson…
In this Thesis we study the quantum to classical transition process in the context of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. We shall analyze the effects that general environments, namely ohmic and non-ohmic, at zero and high…
In this dissertation, I explore interactions between matter and propagating light. The electromagnetic field is modeled as a reservoir of quantum harmonic oscillators successively streaming past a quantum system. Each weak and fleeting…
Photosynthetic complexes improve the transfer of excitation energy from peripheral antennas to reaction centers in several ways. In particular, a downward energy funnel can direct excitons in the right direction, while coherent excitonic…