The fundamental role of localised vibrations in excitation dynamics in photosynthetic light-harvesting systems

The importance of fast vibrations in enhancing and controlling energy transfer and conversion in biomolecules is an issue of current debate. In this article we show that coupling between localised high-frequency vibrations and electronic degrees of freedom is fundamental for efficient excitation transport in photosynthetic light-harvesting systems with high degree of disorder. We consider the cryptophyte antennae protein phycoerythrin 545 and discuss how the balance between electronic interactions and coupling to fast vibronic modes supports the biological function of these antennae by generating a non-cascaded transport that leads to a rapid, directed and wider spatial distribution of excitation energy across the complex. Furthermore, we illustrate signatures of vibronic influence in the beating of excitonic coherences and show that mechanisms supporting coherent evolution of excitons also assist coupling to selected modes that enhance energy transfer to preferential sites in the complex. We therefore argue that, in the presence of strong coupling between highly localised electronic excitations and quantised vibrations, a concrete and important function for quantum coherent dynamics is to optimise resonances that promote fast and effective energy distribution.