Séminaire Alex CHIN - BIOINSPIRATION [Feb. 2, 2023]

 Summary

SEMINAIRE donné le jeudi 02 Février 2023 à 11h00

Alex CHIN

Institut des Nanosciences de Paris

From the ultrafast dynamics of photosynthesis to the quantum design of energy harvesting materials

Nearly fifteen years ago, the unexpected observation of coherent excitonic dynamics in photosynthetic proteins kick-started a vibrant interdisciplinary effort to explore the possible roles and advantages of non-classical effects in biological processes. Today, claims that Nature actually exploits quantum mechanics in vivo remain highly controversial, but a key outcome of 'Quantum Biology' has been to expose the exquisite nano engineering of light-harvesting proteins to powerful theoretical and computational tools from across condensed matter, quantum information and chemical sciences. From these techniques, a deep, microscopic understanding has arisen of how (open) quantum dynamics can drive sophisticated optoelectronic functionalities in protein structures, inspiring light-harvesting concepts that could be realized in artificial nanotechnologies. In this talk I will present an overview of my theoretical work on biological light-harvesting, covering the highly tuned electron structure of PPCs, the critical role of structural vibrations in ultrafast energy transport, and how these could be leveraged for quantum-enhanced energy harvesting in man-made systems. Time permitting, I will also present some of the 'bio-inspired' devices in which these ideas have actually been tested, including organic photovoltaics, DNA origami and, even, superconducting qubit circuits.