FIGURE 3.

Evolutionary target analysis. The experimenter specifies the energy flow network model to be tested (top right), including reasonably wide intervals for the decay rates and for the target state spectra (top left). An initial guess for the shape of the target spectra (bottom left) is optional. The evolutionary algorithm then optimizes the rates and spectra simultaneously, based on an indeterministic mapping of the entire parameter space within the given intervals. For each set of parameters, the time-dependent spectra are calculated and compared to the experimental data. Only the best sets survive and generate the next generation of parameter sets by mutation and recombination.