Rhodopsin Photoisomerization: Coherent vs. Incoherent Excitation

A uniform minimal model of rhodopsin photoisomerization induced by either coherent laser light or low level incoherent light (e.g. moonlight) is provided. Realistic timescales for both processes, which differ by ten orders of magnitude, are obtained. Further, a kinetic scheme involving rates for both coherent and incoherent light excitation is introduced, placing all timescales into a uniform framework.