Spin coherence during radical-pair formation in cryptochromes (Sig01)

• Subject Area: Biophysics
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 395940726

To achieve a comprehensive understanding of magnetoreception and vertebrate navigation, it is important to study the basic biophysical mechanisms enabling animals to sense the required cues in their environment. In this project we will use different ultra-fast electronic spectroscopy techniques to elucidate the fundamental charge and spin transfer processes underlying radical pair formation in cryptochromes. These experiments shall selectively probe the dynamics of radical pairs in their singlet and triplet states, provide evidence for coherent singlet-triplet interconversion and, thus, test a cornerstone of the currently proposed models for radical-pair based magnetoreception.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1372: Magnetoreception and navigation in vertebrates: from biophysics to brain and behaviour
• Applicant Institution: Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
• Project Heads: Dr. Antonietta De Sio, since 1/2023; Professor Christoph Lienau, Ph.D.