reply to post by cloudwatcher
That image looks very similar to
Antenna_Complex image on Wikipedia:
The light-harvesting (or antenna) complex of plants is an array of protein and chlorophyll molecules embedded in the thylakoid membrane which transfer
light energy to one chlorophyll a molecule at the reaction center of a photosystem.
The antenna pigments are predominantly chlorophyll b, xanthophylls, and carotenoids. Chlorophyll a is known as the core pigment. Their absorption
spectra are non-overlapping in order to broaden the range of light that can be absorbed in photosynthesis. The carotenoids have another role as an
antioxidant to prevent photo-oxidative damage of chlorophyll molecules. Each antenna complex has between 250 and 400 pigment molecules and the energy
they absorb is shuttled by
resonance energy transfer to a specialized
chlorophyll-protein complex known as the reaction center of each photosystem. The reaction center initiates a complex series of chemical reactions
that capture energy in the form of chemical bonds.
See also
Resonant energy transfer is used for remotely powering equipment such as
smart cards
FRET is also used to study
lipid rafts in
cell
membranes.
Note (optical version of magnetic coupling)
An
evanescent wave is a nearfield standing wave with an intensity that exhibits exponential
decay with distance from the boundary at which the wave was formed. Evanescent wave coupling are a general property of wave-equations, and can in
principle occur in any context to which a wave-equation applies. They are formed at the boundary between two media with different wave motion
properties, and are most intense within one third of a wavelength from the surface of formation. In particular, evanescent waves can occur in the
contexts of optics and other forms of electromagnetic radiation, acoustics, quantum mechanics, and "waves on strings".
Which brings us to
pH buffering and another
similar pic:
See also:
Bioluminescence principles / energy transfer (BRET): light emitted by a chemical enzymatic reaction (Luminol/Peroxidase, Luciferin/Luciferase,
Coelenterazine/Aequorin)
Luciferase chemical reaction
In luminescent reactions, light is produced by the oxidation of a luciferin (a pigment):
luciferin + O2 → oxyluciferin + light
The most common luminescent reactions release CO2 as a product. The rates of this reaction between luciferin and oxygen are extremely slow until they
are catalyzed by luciferase, sometimes mediated by the presence of cofactors such as calcium ions or ATP.[3] The reaction catalyzed by firefly
luciferase takes place in two steps:
luciferin + ATP → luciferyl adenylate + PPi
luciferyl adenylate + O2 → oxyluciferin + AMP + light
The reaction is very energetically efficient: nearly all of the energy input into the reaction is transformed into light (560nm). As a comparison, the
incandescent light bulb only converts about 10% of its energy into light
Applications
Luciferase can be produced in the lab through genetic engineering for a number of purposes. Luciferase genes can be synthesized and inserted into
organisms or transfected into cells. Mice, silkworms, and potatoes are just a few organisms that have already been engineered to produce the protein.