Excitons and solitons in molecular systems.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses some problems of modern bioenergetics at the molecular level, and focuses on the important role of nonlinear processes. The process of the vibrational energy and electron transfer along protein molecules is studied on the basis of nonlinear equations. A new model of the molecular mechanism of muscular contraction in animals is presented, in the chapter, using the concept of solitons. The possible role of solitons in other biological processes is also investigated in the chapter. The most active part in cell bioenergetics is played by protein molecules. They are closely connected with the basic manifestations of life. All chemical processes in the cell take place with the participation of proteins–enzymes. Proteins transform chemical energy into mechanical energy and are responsible for cellular and intracellular movement. The chapter reveals that the presence of the energy gap in the spectrum of excited states of the chain between exciton and soliton states proves to be one of the reasons for the high stability of a soliton. To destroy a soliton, that is, to split it into a free exciton and a deformation that then relaxes into a thermal motion, it is necessary to expend a considerable amount of energy.

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