Title :
Analysis of the femtosecond isomerization reaction mechanism of rhodopsin
Author :
Mathies, R.A. ; Wexler, D. ; Qing Wang ; Schoenlein, R.W. ; Kochendoerfer, G.C. ; Lugtenburg, J. ; Shank, C.V.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Chem., California Univ., Berkeley, CA, USA
Abstract :
Summary form only given. Visual excitation is initiated by the absorption of a photon by the 11-cis retinal chromophore bound within the pigment called rhodopsin. The photochemical cis-trans isomerization in rhodopsin is complete in only 200 fs. The extreme speed of this process suggests that the photochemistry involves nonstationary states or vibrational coherence.
Keywords :
biophysics; eye; high-speed optical techniques; isomerisation; photochemistry; proteins; 11-cis retinal chromophore bound; 200 fs; extreme speed; femtosecond isomerization reaction mechanism; nonstationary states; photochemical cis-trans isomerization; photochemistry; photon absorption; pigment; rhodopsin; vibrational coherence; visual excitation; Atom optics; Chemistry; Monte Carlo methods; Nonlinear equations; Optical surface waves; Pigments; Reservoirs; Retina; Ultrafast optics; Wave functions;
Conference_Titel :
Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference, 1996. QELS '96., Summaries of Papers Presented at the
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA, USA
Print_ISBN :
1-55752-444-0
