Abstract
Carotenoids serve important functions in photosynthetic organisms: as structural components of pigment-protein complexes, accessory light-harvesting pigments and photoprotective agents. Elucidation of the role(s) of the lowest excited singlet states of carotenoids, in particular, of the state 2Ag -(S1) in light harvesting and excess energy dissipation is a field of intense current research interest. Two-photon absorption (TPA) of carotenoids detected by (bacterio)chlorophyll, (B)Chl, fluorescence (following excitation energy transfer, EET) can be used to localize the (optically dark) 2Ag -(S1) state of relevant carotenoids in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes. The fluorescence excitation spectra of several bacterial and plant light-harvesting complexes have been measured upon short-pulse (100 fs) laser excitation in the presumed 2Ag - energy range of the bound carotenoids.
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