龙虾是人们爱吃的珍馐美味,但却很少有人留意为什么龙虾煮了会变成红色。荷兰莱顿大学弗朗西斯科·布达及其同事发现,虾青蛋白中成对存在的虾青素分子会发生干涉,就像相邻电线的电信号出现互相干扰一样。这种干涉改变了虾青素分子的量子能态,从而改变了它们所能吸收光的波长。 Lobster is a rare delicacy that people love to eat, but few people pay attention to why lobster boiled turns red. University of Leiden University of the Netherlands Francisco Boda and colleagues found that pairs of astaxanthin molecules present in the astaxanthin protein interfere with each other, just as electrical signals from adjacent wires interfere with each other. This interference alters the quantum energy state of the astaxanthin molecule, which changes the wavelength of light they can absorb.