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Light absorption efficiencies of photosynthetic pigments: the dependence on spectral types of central stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2014

Yu Komatsu ,
Masayuki Umemura ,
Mitsuo Shoji ,
Megumi Kayanuma ,
Kazuhiro Yabana  and
Kenji Shiraishi
Yu Komatsu*
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Masayuki Umemura
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Mitsuo Shoji
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Megumi Kayanuma
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Kazuhiro Yabana
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Kenji Shiraishi
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
*
e-mail: yukomatu@ccs.tsukuba.ac.jp
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Abstract

For detecting life from reflection spectra on extrasolar planets, trace of photosynthesis is one of the indicators. However, it is not yet clear what kind of radiation environments is acceptable for photosynthesis. Light absorption in photosystems on the Earth occurs using limited photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophylls (Chls) and bacteriochlorophylls (BChls). Efficiencies of light absorption for the pigments were evaluated by calculating the specific molecular absorption spectra at the high accuracy-quantum mechanical level. We used realistic stellar radiation spectra such as F, G, K and M-type stars to investigate the efficiencies. We found that the efficiencies are increased with the temperature of stars, from M to F star. Photosynthetic pigments have two types of absorption bands, the Qy and Soret. In higher temperature stars like F star, contributions from the Soret region of the pigments are dominant for the efficiency. On the other hand, in lower temperature stars like M stars, the Qy band is crucial. Therefore, differences on the absorption intensity and the wavelength between the Qy and Soret band are the most important to characterize the photosynthetic pigments. Among photosynthetic pigments, Chls tend to be efficient in higher temperature stars, while BChls are efficient for M stars. Blueward of the 4000 Å break, the efficiencies of BChls are smaller than Chls in the higher temperature stars.

Keywords

photosynthetic pigmenttime-dependent density functional theoryabsorption efficiencyextrasolar planetscentral stars
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , July 2015 , pp. 505 - 510
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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