Simulation of non-radiative energy transfer in photosynthetic systems using a quantum computer

TL;DR

This paper presents a quantum algorithm for simulating excitonic energy transfer in photosynthesis, incorporating environmental effects, validated through experiments on IBM Q, advancing understanding of quantum biological processes.

Contribution

The paper introduces a quantum algorithm that models quantum and environmental effects in photosynthetic energy transfer, demonstrated on a 5-qubit quantum computer.

Findings

Quantum simulations match the Haken-Ströbl model results.

Environmental parameters significantly influence energy transport efficiency.

Proof of concept on IBM Q validates the approach.

Abstract

Photosynthesis is an important and complex physical process in nature, whose comprehensive understanding would have many relevant industrial applications, for instance in the field of energy production. In this paper we propose a quantum algorithm for the simulation of the excitonic transport of energy, occurring in the first stage of the process of photosynthesis. The algorithm takes in account the quantum and environmental effects (pure-dephasing), influencing the quantum transport. We performed quantum simulations of such phenomena, for a proof of concept scenario, in an actual quantum computer the IBM Q, of 5 qubits. We validate the results with the Haken-Str\"obl model and discuss the influence of environmental parameters on the efficiency of the energy transport.