Dear Group,
On Monday at 2pm in the Division Room Dr. Gian Giacomo Guerreschi, a
postdoc candidate visiting our group, will be presenting a special
group meeting. His abstract is given below.
Quantum and classical control of radical pair reactions in solution
=======================
The yield of chemical reactions involving intermediate radical pair
is influenced by magnetic fields well beyond the levels expected from
energy considerations. This dependence can be traced back to the
microscopic dynamics of electron spins and constitutes the basis of
the chemical compass. In addition, the radical-pair mechanism is one
of the two main hypotheses to explain the navigability of animals in
weak magnetic fields, enabling, e.g., birds to see Earth's magnetic
field.
Here, we study the role of radical-pair entanglement in this mechanism
and show how quantum control can be used to either enhance or reduce
the performance of a chemical compass. Furthermore, we propose a new
experimental approach based on molecular photoswitches to achieve
control on the kinetics of the chemical reaction and to allow
short-time resolution of the spin dynamics. Our proposals enable
experiments to test some of the standard assumptions of the radical
pair model and improve the sensitivity of chemical magnetometers by
two orders of magnitude.
--
Ryan Babbush | PhD Student in Chemistry
(949) 331-3943 | babbush(a)fas.harvard.edu
Harvard University | Aspuru-Guzik Research Group
12 Oxford Street, Box 400 | Cambridge, MA 02138
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