Electric Field Modulated P + Q A - Recombination in Photosystem II

In this work electric fields have been used to study charge recombination kinetics in photosystem II (PS II). By exposing an aqueous suspension of osmotically swollen thylakoids (blebs) to an external electric field high electric potentials can be generated over the photosynthetic membrane. Such a membrane potential can produce a considerable stimulation of charge recombination in photosynthetic reaction centres. Therefore, applying an electric field pulse over a suspension of blebs shortly after an exciting light flash will result in a burst of recombination luminescence, an effect known as electroluminescence (EL) [1].