| The Fleming Group |  |
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Our research aims to elucidate the solvation dynamics of liquids, the interactions between chromophores and the nanoscale engineering principles of natural photosynthetic light harvesting systems. These processes are ultrafast and require the use of femtosecond spectroscopy for their elucidation. We develop and apply new nonlinear optical spectroscopies to these systems. The new techniques will allow us to quantify the extent of electronic mixing between coupled chromophores, provide detailed insight into the roles of energetic and coupling disorder, and provide experimental measures of the energetic pathways taken by the excitation. The experimental work will be complemented by electronic structure calculations and quantum dynamical modeling. We also aim to elucidate the timescales, mechanism, and regulation of energy transfer in Photosystem II. We collaborate with Prof. Kris Niyogi (a plant geneticist) to determine the role of the PsbS protein in nonphotochemical quenching, by combining one-and two-photon ultrafast spectroscopy with genetic and biochemical techniques, and theoretical methods. |
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