Vector and Brownian Components in the Energy Transfer
from Photoexcited Chlorophyll Molecules to Reaction Centers

G. S. Avakyants and G. G. Komissarov

Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kosygina 4, Moscow, 117977 Russia

E-mail: komiss@chph.ras.ru

Received July 3, 2002

Abstract—A new model of the energy migration in a photosynthetic unit was proposed. The energy migration
was postulated to consist of a Brownian and a vector component. The model is based on the concept of dipole–
dipole interaction suggested by Ferster. According to this model, the optimum arrangement of the chlorophyll
molecules is comprised of 1/3 of the chaotic component and ~2/3 of the vector one. In this case, the efficiency
of energy migration is 7 times higher as compared with the situation when only one of the components is
present. This theoretical conclusion agrees with the available X-ray diffraction data on the arrangement of the
chlorophyll molecules in reaction centers.

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