Redfield Theory Unifies Coherence and Dissipation in Photosynthetic Exciton Transport — E8 Intelligence Research

FINDING: Redfield theory formalizes photosynthetic exciton transport as a time-local Markovian master equation where the dephasing tensor (real part) and coherent coupling (imaginary part) of the same bath correlation function jointly govern transfer efficiency — coherence and dissipation are not opposed but co-derived from one spectral density. MATH: - Frenkel exciton Hamiltonian: H = Σ_n ε_n |n⟩⟨n| + Σ_{n≠m} J_{nm} |n⟩⟨m| - Redfield master equation: dρ/dt = -i[H, ρ] + Σ_{nm} R_{nm} ρ (time-local, Markovian) - Redfield tensor: R_{nm,kl} = Γ_{lm,kn} + Γ*_{kn,lm} - δ_{lm} Σ_p Γ_{np,pk} - δ_{kn} Σ_p Γ*_{kp,pl} - Bath correlation: Γ_{nm,kl} = ∫₀^∞ dt C_{nm,kl}(t) e^{-iω_{kl}t}, with C(t) = ⟨B(t)B(0)⟩ - Key structural fact: Re[Γ] = dephasing/relaxation rates; Im[Γ] = Lamb shift (coherent energy renormalization). Both derive from the SAME spectral density J(ω). - Energy transfer efficiency η ≈ 1 observed in natural complexes (near-unity, per arXiv:1801.09475). CONNECTION: No direct 0.618 Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com