In an article found in Science Daily, it was revealed that University of Chicago researchers have discovered synthetic compound that mimics the compound that mimics the complex quantum dynamics observed in photosynthesis and may enable new routes to creating new solar-energy technologies.
The researchers modified fluorescein, and by using a rigid briding structure linked different pairs of flourescien together. The resulting molecules were able to recreate the important properties of chlorophyll molecules in photosynthetic systems that cause coherences to persist for tens of femtoseconds at room temperature.
Coherences are the macroscopically observable behavior of quantum superpositions. Superpositions are a fundamental quantum mechanical concept, in which a single quantum particle such as an electron occupies more than one state simultaneously.
"That may not sound like a very long time -- a femtosecond is a millionth of a billionth of a second," said study co-author Dugan Hayes, a UChicago graduate student in chemistry. "But the movement of excitations through these systems also occurs on this ultrafast timescale, meaning that these quantum superpositions can play an important role in energy transfer."
This finding is significant for advances in solar energy and energy transfer, being that before this experiment, this was thought to not be possible! For more information on solar energy, take a look here and learn a little more :)
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