The main research field of the group is Bioenergetics.

The available equipments: Langmuir-Blodgett trough, Nd-YAG pulse laser. The following projects are in the centre of our activity:

To investigate the photocycle and proton pump of Bacteriorhodopsin, conductivity change of suspension of oriented purple membranes are measured. The proton release and uptake of the membrane are detected by this technique and the time resolved kinetics is compared to the kinetics of the photocycle. To understand the origin of the photovoltic signal during plant photosynthesis, the signal's polarity and kinetics were measured. A model (based on wave optics) was developed to describe light distribution pattern in the thylakoid system. Theoretical descriptions were given to study the possibility of free-energy transduction due to electrostatic interaction between proteins.

In the field of population biology the theory of life-history optimization and adaptation to heterogeneous environment are studied.

Ab initio and semi-empirical calculation of the equilibrium geometries and normal modes of ionized and excited states were made on an open shell polipeptide model compound.

Staff members: Elemér Papp, György Fricsovszky, Géza Meszéna, András Balázs