Coherence and Decoherence in Biological Systems: Principles of Noise Assisted Transport and the Origin of Long-lived Coherences

TL;DR

This paper reviews how noise can assist quantum coherence in biological transport systems, exploring mechanisms supporting long-lived coherences and their potential functional roles in photosynthesis.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of phonon antennae and discusses the microscopic origins of long-lived electronic coherences in biological systems.

Findings

Long-lived coherences observed in photosynthetic complexes.

Introduction of the phonon antenna concept.

Insights into noise-assisted transport mechanisms.

Abstract

The quantum dynamics of transport networks in the presence of noisy environments have recently received renewed attention with the discovery of long-lived coherences in different photosynthetic complexes. This experimental evidence has raised two fundamental questions: Firstly, what are the mechanisms supporting long-lived coherences and secondly, how can we assess the possible functional role that the interplay of noise and quantum coherence might play in the seemingly optimal operation of biological systems under natural conditions? Here we review recent results, illuminate them at the hand of two paradigmatic systems, the Fenna-Matthew-Olson (FMO) complex and the light harvesting complex LHII, and present new progress on both questions. In particular we introduce the concept of the phonon antennae and discuss the possible microscopic origin or long-lived electronic coherences.