Speaker
Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)?
Yes
Level for award<br> (Hons, MSc, <br> PhD, N/A)?
MSc
Please indicate whether<br>this abstract may be<br>published online<br>(Yes / No)
Yes
Main supervisor (name and email)<br>and his / her institution
Tjaart Krüger, Tjaart.Kruger@up.ac.za, University of Pretoria
Apply to be<br> considered for a student <br> award (Yes / No)?
Yes
Abstract content <br> (Max 300 words)<br><a href="http://events.saip.org.za/getFile.py/access?resId=0&materialId=0&confId=34" target="_blank">Formatting &<br>Special chars</a>
The fundamental mechanisms involved in photosynthesis not only provide an opportunity to study physical principles that span over both classical and quantum scales but also take us a step closer to the development of viable alternative energy sources such as cheaper biofuel production and more effective photovoltaics. Some of said mechanisms play a critical role in the photoprotection of oxygenic photosynthetic organisms against high light intensities and are generally referred to as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). In plants, the fast, reversible, energy-dependent component of NPQ (qE) likely takes place in the major light-harvesting pigment-protein complex (LHCII) and compete with the exciton dynamics that ensure efficient light harvesting. Recent time-resolved studies have revealed that single, isolated LHCII complexes exhibit binary switching between a bright and a dim emission state, a phenomenon called fluorescence intermittency, which is very likely related to slow protein conformational dynamics. We will show the fluorescence lifetime and intensity correlations of single LHCII complexes in NPQ states emulated to different degrees with a particular focus on the less frequently accessed intermediate levels.
