"Theoretical Molecular Biophysics" is an advanced study book for students, shortly before or after completing undergraduate studies, in physics, chemistry or biology. It provides the tools for an understanding of elementary processes in biology, such as photosynthesis on a molecular level. A basic knowledge in mechanics, electrostatics, quantum theory and statistical physics is desirable. The reader will be exposed to basic concepts in modern biophysics such as entropic forces, phase separation, potentials of mean force, proton and electron transfer, heterogeneous reactions coherent and incoherent energy transfer as well as molecular motors. Basic concepts such as phase transitions of biopolymers, electrostatics, protonation equilibria, ion transport, radiationless transitions as well as energy- and electron transfer are discussed within the frame of simple models.

Statistical Mechanics of Biopolymers

Random Walk Models for the Conformation
Flory-Huggins Theory for Biopolymer Solutions
Protein Electrostatics and Solvation
Implicit Continuum Solvent Models
Debye-Hückel Theory
Protonation Equilibria
Reaction Kinetics
Formal Kinetics
Kinetic Theory: Fokker-Planck Equation
Kramers' Theory
Dispersive Kinetics
Transport Processes
Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics
Simple Transport Processes
Ion Transport Through a Membrane
Reaction-Diffusion Systems
Reaction Rate Theory
Equilibrium Reactions
Calculation of Reaction Rates
Marcus Theory of Electron Transfer
Elementry Photophysis
Molecular States
Optical Transitions
The Displaced Harmonic Oscillator Model
Spectral Diffusion
Crossing of Two Electronic States
Dynamics of an Excited State
Elementry Photoinduced Processes
Photophysics of Chlorophylls and Carotenoids
Incoherent Energy Transfer
Coherent Excitations in Photosynthetic Systems
Ultrafast Electron Transfer Processes in the Photosynthetic Reaction Center
Proton Transfer in Biomolecules
Molecular Motor Models
Continuous Ratchet Models
Discrete Ratchet Models
The Grand Canonical Ensemble
Time Correlation Function of the Displaced Harmonic Oscillator Model
The Saddle Point Method.