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Spin Dynamics in Radical Pairs

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Abstract

Radical pair reactions play an important role in a wide range of biological and technological processes. The overall rates and product yields of these reactions are strongly dependent on the spin dynamics of the radical pair, despite the fact that the magnetic interactions which produce these dynamics are far weaker than the thermal energy at room temperature. In this thesis we will outline the quantum mechanics which describes these radical pair reactions, before deriving semiclassical approximations which allow the computation of the ensemble averages of observables in realistic radical pairs. We will then apply these methods to three different problems in order to gain an insight into the physical processes which affect the rate and outcome of these radical pair reactions.

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  1. The James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Alan Lewis

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Lewis, A. (2018). Introduction. In: Spin Dynamics in Radical Pairs. Springer Theses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00686-0_1

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