A synthetic biological quantum optical system

Nanoscale. 2018 Jul 13;10(27):13064-13073. doi: 10.1039/c8nr02144a.

Abstract

In strong plasmon-exciton coupling, a surface plasmon mode is coupled to an array of localized emitters to yield new hybrid light-matter states (plexcitons), whose properties may in principle be controlled via modification of the arrangement of emitters. We show that plasmon modes are strongly coupled to synthetic light-harvesting maquette proteins, and that the coupling can be controlled via alteration of the protein structure. For maquettes with a single chlorin binding site, the exciton energy (2.06 ± 0.07 eV) is close to the expected energy of the Qy transition. However, for maquettes containing two chlorin binding sites that are collinear in the field direction, an exciton energy of 2.20 ± 0.01 eV is obtained, intermediate between the energies of the Qx and Qy transitions of the chlorin. This observation is attributed to strong coupling of the LSPR to an H-dimer state not observed under weak coupling.

MeSH terms

  • Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes / chemistry*
  • Models, Chemical
  • Optical Devices*
  • Porphyrins
  • Quantum Dots
  • Quantum Theory*
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance

Substances

  • Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes
  • Porphyrins
  • chlorin