Can ultrafast lasers help us understand the complex process of photosynthesis?

AI Thread Summary
Inducing photosynthesis with laser light is feasible as long as the light's wavelength is appropriate. Research indicates that various light sources, including lasers, can effectively facilitate photosynthesis. Notably, ultrafast lasers have been utilized in advanced studies to investigate electron transfer reactions during the process. A significant technique developed by Fleming's research group, known as two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy, allows scientists to track light-induced excitation energy flow through molecular complexes with femtosecond precision. This method employs multiple laser beams to sequentially flash samples, enabling detailed observation of how excitation energy is transferred between molecules, thereby altering their light absorption and emission properties.
LukeJD
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Warning: This is a potentially stupid question!

Is it possible to induce photosynthesis with laser light?

What kind of published work is there on it?

Thanks!
 
Biology news on Phys.org
Yes, as long as the light is of the correct wavelength, it does not matter if it comes from the sun, a light bulb, or a laser. In fact, by using ultrafast lasers, researches can perform very sophisticated experiments to probe what happens during all of the electron transfer reactions during photosynthesis (for example, see http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/PBD-quantum-secrets.html) :

Fleming and his research group have developed a technique called two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy that enables them to follow the flow of light-induced excitation energy through molecular complexes with femtosecond temporal resolution. The technique involves sequentially flashing a sample with femtosecond pulses of light from three laser beams. A fourth beam is used as a local oscillator to amplify and detect the resulting spectroscopic signals as the excitation energy from the laser lights is transferred from one molecule to the next. (The excitation energy changes the way each molecule absorbs and emits light.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S. According to articles in the Los Angeles Times, "Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.", and "Kissing bugs bring deadly disease to California". LA Times requires a subscription. Related article -...
I am reading Nicholas Wade's book A Troublesome Inheritance. Please let's not make this thread a critique about the merits or demerits of the book. This thread is my attempt to understanding the evidence that Natural Selection in the human genome was recent and regional. On Page 103 of A Troublesome Inheritance, Wade writes the following: "The regional nature of selection was first made evident in a genomewide scan undertaken by Jonathan Pritchard, a population geneticist at the...
I use ethanol for cleaning glassware and resin 3D prints. The glassware is sometimes used for food. If possible, I'd prefer to only keep one grade of ethanol on hand. I've made sugar mash, but that is hardly the least expensive feedstock for ethanol. I had given some thought to using wheat flour, and for this I would need a source for amylase enzyme (relevant data, but not the core question). I am now considering animal feed that I have access to for 20 cents per pound. This is a...
Back
Top