What is the fate of a photon after it hits the retina and is absorbed by an Opsin Molecule?
In: Physics
The photon ceases to exist. Its energy has been transferred to the electron field, which transfers to mechanical energy to move the atoms of the retinal molecule, which transfers to mechanical energy to move the atoms of the opsin protein. Changing the shape of the opsin protein causes the photoreceptor to fire. Additional stored energy from various locations (think of energy stored in the protein as “springs”) gets added at each step to make the overall process happen
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