Coherence, decoherence and incoherence in natural light-induced processes - Paul Brumer

There are a host of molecular processes in nature, such as vision and photosynthesis, that are initiated by the absorption of light. Surprisingly, several have shown quantum coherence lifetimes far beyond those estimated by earlier studies of decoherence. We will discuss these results and provide an enlightening model that characterizes the long lived quantum coherence. In addition, we will describe an ongoing controversy regarding the significance of coherent-laser-induced dynamics to the natural molecular response induced by sunlight.