Modeling quantum effects in photosynthetic charge separation

Nature used light as a source of energy. Organisms like plants and bacteria rely on photosynthesis to power their activity. Light is absorbed by pigment molecules, which are part of large protein complexes. The initially absorbed photon creates an energy packet, which moves through the complex towards a reaction center, where charge separation takes place [1]. Over the past ten years, the role of quantum effects in the energy transport mechanism, and the competing role of vibrational motion, have been studied, stimulated by new experimental developments [2].