Homogeneous Dephasing in Photosynthetic Bacterial Reaction Centers: Time Correlation Function Approach

Abstract

A new tractable linear electronic transition dipole moment time correlation function (ETDMTCF) that accurately accounts for electronic dephasing, asymmetry, and width of 1-phonon profile, which the zero-phonon line (ZPL) contributes to it, in Rhodopseudomonas viridis bacterial reaction center is derived. This time correlation function proves to be superior to other frequency-domain expressions in case of strong electron-phonon coupling (which is often the case in bacterial RCs and pigment-protein complexes), many vibrational modes involved, and high temperature, whereby more vibronic and electronic (sequence) transitions would arise. The Fourier transform of this ETDMTCF leads to asymmetric multiphonon profiles composed of Lorentzian distribution and Gaussian distribution on the high- and low-energy sides, respectively, whereby the overtone widths fold themselves with that of the one-phonon profile. This ETDMTCF also features expedient computation in large systems using asymmetric phonon profiles to account correctly for dephasing and pigment-protein interaction (electron-phonon coupling). The derived ETDMTCF allows computing all nonlinear optical signals in both time and frequency domains, through the nonlinear dipole moment time correlation functions (as guided by nonlinear optical response theory) in line with the eight Liouville space pathways. The linear transition dipole moment time correlation function is of a central value as the nonlinear transition dipole moment time correlation function is expressed in terms of the linear transition dipole moment time correlation function, derived herein. One of the great advantages of presenting this ETDMTCF is its applicability to nonlinear transition dipole moment time correlation functions in line with the eight Liouville space pathways needed in computing nonlinear signals. As such, there is more to the utility and applicability of the presented ETDMTCF besides computational expediency and efficiency. Results show good agreement with the reported literature. The intimate connection between a one-phonon profile and the corresponding bath spectral density in photosynthetic complexes is discussed.

Keywords: bacterial reaction center; electronic transition dipole moment time; pure dephasing.