Picosecond Kinetics of Events Leading to Reaction Center Bacteriochlorophyll Oxidation

Abstract

A transient absorption spectrum has been measured in Rhodopseudomonas spheroides R26 reaction centers. Its salient features indicate that both the bacteriopheophytin and bacteriochlorophyll chromophores play a role in the excited state. Decay of this state yields a rise time for oxidation of the reaction center complex of about 150 picoseconds.