Abstract
Low frequency excited state vibrational coherences induced by impulsive photoexcitation in bacteriorhodopsin are detected via femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy, and compared with similar data in retinal protonated Schiff bases of native and locked retinals. At delays above ∼100 fs a single vibration below 200 fs dominates the detected spectral modulations. Its frequency of ∼120 in retinal protonated Schiff base is virtually unchanged by locking the C13=C14 bond in the trans or cis configurations, but is increased to 170 cm-1 within the protein environment. The implications of this result on the part played by the protein in directing the reactivity of the retinal within bacteriorhodopsin is discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 549-555 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Chemical Physics Letters |
| Volume | 381 |
| Issue number | 5-6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 21 Nov 2003 |