Incoherent Control of the Retinal Isomerization in Rhodopsin
Felix Lucas, Klaus Hornberger
We propose to control the retinal photoisomerization yield through the backaction dynamics imparted by a nonselective optical measurement of the molecular electronic state. This incoherent effect is easier to implement than comparable coherent pulse shaping techniques, and is also robust to environmental noise. A numerical simulation of the quantum dynamics shows that the isomerization yield of this important biomolecule can be substantially increased above the natural limit.
arXiv:1403.3203•Physical Review Letters•Aug 1, 2014•21 citations