Photon statistics as an experimental test discriminating between theories of spin-selective radical-ion-pair reactions

TL;DR

This paper proposes an experimental photon statistics test to distinguish between competing quantum models of radical-ion-pair reactions, providing a model-independent method to understand their quantum dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a photon statistics-based experimental test that can discriminate among different master equations describing radical-ion-pair quantum dynamics.

Findings

Photon statistics can differentiate between theoretical models.

The test is model-independent and reveals singlet-triplet decoherence.

It offers a new way to study radical-ion-pair quantum behavior.

Abstract

Radical-ion-pair reactions were recently shown to represent a rich biophysical laboratory for the application of quantum measurement theory methods and concepts. We here propose a concrete experimental test that can clearly discriminate among the fundamental master equations currently attempting to describe the quantum dynamics of these reactions. The proposed measurement based on photon statistics of fluorescing radical pairs is shown to be model-independent and capable of elucidating the singlet-triplet decoherence inherent in the radical-ion-pair recombination process.