The Effect of Site-Specific Spectral Densities on the High-Dimensional Exciton-Vibrational Dynamics in the FMO Complex

TL;DR

This study explores how different spectral densities affect exciton-vibrational dynamics in the FMO complex, revealing that while transfer efficiency depends mainly on the Huang-Rhys factor, spectral details influence vibrational distributions.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of site-specific versus experimental spectral densities on exciton-vibrational dynamics in a high-dimensional model.

Findings

Transfer efficiency is primarily determined by the Huang-Rhys factor.

Spectral details significantly influence vibrational and vibronic distributions.

Site-specific spectral densities alter population relaxation patterns.

Abstract

The coupled exciton-vibrational dynamics of a three-site model of the FMO complex is investigated using the Multi-layer Multi-configuration Time-dependent Hartree (ML-MCTDH) approach. Emphasis is put on the effect of the spectral density on the exciton state populations as well as on the vibrational and vibronic non-equilibrium excitations. Models which use either a single or site-specific spectral densities are contrasted to a spectral density adapted from experiment. For the transfer efficiency, the total integrated Huang-Rhys factor is found to be more important than details of the spectral distributions. However, the latter are relevant for the obtained non-equilibrium vibrational and vibronic distributions and thus influence the actual pattern of population relaxation.