Observation of charge migration in amino acids

Abstract

Electron transfer is a fundamental process in biochemistry, which triggers a number of biochemical processes such as photosynthesis, cellular respiration and electron transport along DNA [1]. It has been recognized that the evolution of many biological processes is strictly related to the ultrafast time scale of the corresponding electron dynamics. With the advent of attosecond technology, it was proposed to track and control this electron dynamics in real time. Indeed, the electron dynamics occurring in a biomolecule after sudden ionization can be driven by purely electronic effects and charge migration (CM) from one end of the molecule to the other and back has been theoretically predicted to occur within a time scale ranging from few-femtoseconds down to hundreds-attoseconds [2].