Femtosecond Photobiology
by V R Sundstrom;Jennifer Lynn Herek J LHerek (9780750308342)

Elementary processes, such as breaking and forming chemical bonds, the transfer of energy and charge within and between molecules, and conformational changes, are the fundamental steps constituting most reactions in chemical and biological systems, even very complex systems. Thus, all explanations of chemical dynamics ultimately rely upon a thorough understanding of the ultrafast dynamics. There is presently a very strong development in the field of ultrafast spectroscopy and its application in chemistry, physics, biology, material science, and technology. The applications to various biological systems appear to be one of the areas attracting intense attention, driven by both an interest to explore the function of various biological systems as well as hopes that well-ordered and characterized biological systems may be of interest for future applications in for instance optoelectronics. Providing an overview of current research, Femtosecond Photobiology elucidates fundamental molecular dynamics in biological systems. A thorough introduction to the relevant physical and chemical processes common to all systems provides the necessary framework and practical tools for understanding the various topics. The book also explores the techniques currently employed in studies of ultrafast dynamics. In addition, the authors reveal how ultrafast dynamics of elementary chemical and physical processes are related to the function of molecular systems of biological interest. In cases where atomic structure is available, a particularly detailed understanding of function and reaction mechanisms may be obtained, such as in the examples of the photosynthetic reaction center and light-harvesting complexes, bacteriorhodopsin, the photoactive yellow protein, and cytochromes.

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