# Lamb shift in radical-ion pairs produces a singlet-triplet energy splitting in photosynthetic reaction centers

Source: [Lamb shift in radical-ion pairs produces a singlet-triplet energy splitting in photosynthetic reaction centers](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/68fa2dac1e209131ce85ba92>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2025-10-24T16:25:26.345Z

Authors: K. M. Vitalis, I. K. Kominis

Published: 2013-12-07T03:20:47.000Z

## Abstract

Radical-ion pairs, fundamental for understanding photosynthesis and the avian magnetic compass, were recently shown to be biological open quantum systems. We here show that the coupling of the radical-pair's spin degrees of freedom to its decohering vibrational reservoir leads to a shift of the radical-pair's magnetic energy levels. The Lamb shift Hamiltonian is diagonal in the singlet-triplet basis, and results in a singlet-triplet energy splitting physically indistinguishable from an exchange interaction. This could have significant implications for understanding the energy level structure and the dynamics of photosynthetic reaction centers.

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## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/1312.4866>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/1312.4866.pdf>)