EFFECTS OF APPLIED ELECTRIC-FIELDS ON THE QUANTUM YIELDS OF THE INITIAL ELECTRON-TRANSFER STEPS IN BACTERIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS .1. QUANTUM YIELD FAILURE

The effect of an applied electric field has been measured for the quan tum yield of formation of the P+H-, P+Q(A)-, and 3P states of nonorien ted Rb. sphaeroides reaction centers at 80 K in poly(vinyl alcohol) (P VA) films and in glycerol-buffer glasses. Both the shape and magnitude of the field dependence are very similar for all three observables in both media where the data overlap. This result suggests that the redu ction of the quantum yield occurs at a very early step in the charge s eparation process. More than 50% reduction in the quantum yield is obs erved at fields of 2.5 x 10(6) V/cm in PVA films. Possible mechanisms include field-dependent nonradiative decay of 1P, a field-dependent ra te of formation or decay of P+B- if P+B- is important, and field-depen dent formation or decay of an unrelaxed form of P+H-. Small electric f ield effects are observed on the recombination rate of the radical pai r P+H- and the magnetic field dependence of the 3P quantum yield. This is likely because those orientational subpopulations of reaction cent ers which survive to become P+H- and 3p in an electric field are those which did not experience quantum yield failure at an early step. The field-induced effects provide a basis for a possible mechanism to regu late photosynthetic charge separation by transmembrane potentials.