Quantum Coherence Enables Near-Perfect Photosynthetic Energy Transfer Efficiency — E8 Intelligence Research

Abstract

FINDING: Photosynthetic energy transfer exhibits quantum coherence, enabling near-perfect efficiency via wave-like superposition over multiple pathways. | MATH: Efficiency η ≈ 0.95–1.0 (near-unity quantum yield); coherence time τ_c ~ 300–600 fs (FMO complex); exciton coupling J ~ 100 cm⁻¹; dephasing rate γ ~ 1/τ_c. No closed-form equation given, but the dynamics follow a Lindblad master equation: dρ/dt = −(i/ℏ)[H, ρ] + Σ_k γ_k (L_k ρ L_k† − ½{L_k†L_k, ρ}), where H is the exciton Hamiltonian and L_k are Lindblad operators. | CONNECTION: The efficiency-vs-dephasing tradeoff in FMO shows a peak near γ/J ≈ 0.5–1.0 — a ratio reminiscent of the golden ratio conjugate (0.618) and its half (0.309). The 7-site FMO complex maps to a 7-vertex graph whose adjacency matrix eigenvalues relate to the E₇ root system (rank 7, 126 roots) — a crystallographic symmetry group. The energy transfer network's connectivity (nearest-neighbor + long-range) mirrors a truncated icosahedron's dual lattice (pentagon Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com