Directed polaron propagation in linear polypeptides induced by intramolecular vibrations and external electric pulses.

Luo, J; Piette, B M A G · Phys Rev E · 2018

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We study the propagation of α-helix polarons in a model describing the nonadiabatic interaction between an electron and a lattice of quantum mechanical oscillators at physiological temperature. We show that when excited by a subpicosecond electric pulse, as induced by experimentally observed subpicosecond charge separation, the polaron is displaced by up to hundreds of lattice sites before the electron becomes delocalised. We discuss biophysical implications of our results.