On the Equivalence of Quantum and Classical Coherence in Electronic Energy Transfer

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that quantum and classical coherence lead to identical electronic energy transfer efficiencies in photosynthetic models at realistic coupling strengths, challenging the perceived uniqueness of quantum effects.

Contribution

It provides a direct comparison showing quantum and classical coherence are equivalent in energy transfer for realistic parameters in photosynthetic systems.

Findings

Quantum and classical coherence produce identical transport efficiencies.

Numerical results for linear chains and FMO complex support the equivalence.

Quantum effects may not be essential for efficient energy transfer in these systems.

Abstract

To investigate the effect of quantum coherence on electronic energy transfer, which is the subject of current interest in photosynthesis, we solve the problem of transport for the simplest model of an aggregate of monomers interacting through dipole-dipole forces using both quantum and classical dynamics. We conclude that for realistic coupling strengths quantum and classical coherent transport are identical. This is demonstrated by numerical calculations for a linear chain and for the photosynthetic Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex