Abstract

Using ~500 fs tunable infrared laser pulses of low intensity, the energy transfer dynamics within several similar B800-850 antenna complexes from photosynthetic purple bacteria (Rhodobacter sphaeroides type) was investigated. Energy transfer from B800 to B850 was generally found to be very fast, -0.7 ps, at room temperature, and considerably slower at 77 K, ~2 ps. Transfer among identical B800 molecules is slow, >5 ps. The energy transfer was also studied in a different B800-850 complex and found to be very different, revealing very fast transfer between differently polarized states.

© 1992 The Author(s)