Vibrations, quanta and biology

Huelga, Susana F.; Plenio, Martin B.

doi:10.1080/00405000.2013.829687

Cited by 561 publications

(540 citation statements)

References 174 publications

(244 reference statements)

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“…The same conclusion was also drawn from an experiment at higher temperatures up to 4 • C (4), and similar beatings have been reported for marine cryptophyte algae (5) as well. These experiments have triggered an enormous interest in a potential new field of "quantum biology" (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), with far-reaching consequences, even for the functionality of the human brain (15) and for technological applications (16). The cornerstone experiments (3-5) remained unconfirmed until recently, when a new effort was made to identify the excitonic energy transfer pathways (17) at 77 K. However, observation of long-lived electronic coherences in the 2D off-diagonal signals was not mentioned in ref.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Nature does not rely on long-lived electronic quantum coherence for photosynthetic energy transfer

Duan

Prokhorenko

Cogdell

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

286

220

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During the first steps of photosynthesis, the energy of impinging solar photons is transformed into electronic excitation energy of the light-harvesting biomolecular complexes. The subsequent energy transfer to the reaction center is commonly rationalized in terms of excitons moving on a grid of biomolecular chromophores on typical timescales <100 fs. Today's understanding of the energy transfer includes the fact that the excitons are delocalized over a few neighboring sites, but the role of quantum coherence is considered as irrelevant for the transfer dynamics because it typically decays within a few tens of femtoseconds. This orthodox picture of incoherent energy transfer between clusters of a few pigments sharing delocalized excitons has been challenged by ultrafast optical spectroscopy experiments with the FennaMatthews-Olson protein, in which interference oscillatory signals up to 1.5 ps were reported and interpreted as direct evidence of exceptionally long-lived electronic quantum coherence. Here, we show that the optical 2D photon echo spectra of this complex at ambient temperature in aqueous solution do not provide evidence of any long-lived electronic quantum coherence, but confirm the orthodox view of rapidly decaying electronic quantum coherence on a timescale of 60 fs. Our results can be considered as generic and give no hint that electronic quantum coherence plays any biofunctional role in real photoactive biomolecular complexes. Because in this structurally well-defined protein the distances between bacteriochlorophylls are comparable to those of other light-harvesting complexes, we anticipate that this finding is general and directly applies to even larger photoactive biomolecular complexes.T he principle laws of physics undoubtedly also govern the principle mechanisms of biology. The animate world consists of macroscopic and dynamically slow structures with a huge number of degrees of freedom, such that the laws of statistical mechanics apply. Conversely, the fundamental theory of the microscopic building blocks is quantum mechanics. The physics and chemistry of large molecular complexes may be considered as a bridge between the molecular world and the formation of living matter. A fascinating question since the early days of quantum theory is on the borderline between the atomistic quantum world and the classical world of biology. Clearly, the conditions under which matter displays quantum features or biological functionality are contrarious. Quantum coherent features only become apparent when systems with a few degrees of freedom with a preserved quantum mechanical phase relation of a wave function are well shielded from environmental fluctuations that otherwise lead to rapid dephasing. This dephasing mechanism is very efficient at ambient temperatures, at which biological systems operate. Also, the function of biological macromolecular systems relies on their embedding in a "wet" and highly polar solvent environment, which is again hostile to any quantum coherence. Therefore, the common view ...

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Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Nature does not rely on long-lived electronic quantum coherence for photosynthetic energy transfer

Duan

Prokhorenko

Cogdell

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

286

220

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…20 Furthermore, extensive work has been carried out to investigate the efficiency and robustness of the FennaMatthews-Olson (FMO) PPC with respect to fluctuations in the protein environment, with findings showing that thermal fluctuations can enhance EET via so-called environmentassisted quantum transport (ENAQT). [21][22][23][24][25][26] Similar studies of photosynthetic systems have investigated EET efficiency optimisation with respect to environmental model parameters such as temperature or exciton trapping rates. 6,20,21,27,28 The effect of removing a chromophore on EET efficiency has also been investigated, and it has been suggested that photosynthetic EET networks display a robustness to the loss of a chromophore in the network through the utilisation of multiple EET pathways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Robustness, efficiency, and optimality in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson photosynthetic pigment-protein complex

Baker

Habershon

2015

The Journal of Chemical Physics

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Pigment-protein complexes (PPCs) play a central role in facilitating excitation energy transfer (EET) from light-harvesting antenna complexes to reaction centres in photosynthetic systems; understanding molecular organisation in these biological networks is key to developing better artificial lightharvesting systems. In this article, we combine quantum-mechanical simulations and a network-based picture of transport to investigate how chromophore organization and protein environment in PPCs impacts on EET efficiency and robustness. In a prototypical PPC model, the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex, we consider the impact on EET efficiency of both disrupting the chromophore network and changing the influence of (local and global) environmental dephasing. Surprisingly, we find a large degree of resilience to changes in both chromophore network and protein environmental dephasing, the extent of which is greater than previously observed; for example, FMO maintains EET when 50% of the constituent chromophores are removed, or when environmental dephasing fluctuations vary over two orders-of-magnitude relative to the in vivo system. We also highlight the fact that the influence of local dephasing can be strongly dependent on the characteristics of the EET network and the initial excitation; for example, initial excitations resulting in rapid coherent decay are generally insensitive to the environment, whereas the incoherent population decay observed following excitation at weakly coupled chromophores demonstrates a more pronounced dependence on dephasing rate as a result of the greater possibility of local exciton trapping. Finally, we show that the FMO electronic Hamiltonian is not particularly optimised for EET; instead, it is just one of many possible chromophore organisations which demonstrate a good level of EET transport efficiency following excitation at different chromophores. Overall, these robustness and efficiency characteristics are attributed to the highly connected nature of the chromophore network and the presence of multiple EET pathways, features which might easily be built into artificial photosynthetic systems. C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx

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“…Yet, Einstein was not happy with a quantum jargon mixing wave and particle elements and was sure that wave-particle duality should be finally resolved in favor of a wave model perse. Indeed nowadays quantum biological effects at room temperature have been discovered (reviewed by Arndt et al, 2009;Ball, 2011;Lambert et al, 2013;Lloyd, 2014;Huelga and Plenio, 2013). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum Wave Information of Life Revealed: An Algorithm for Electromagnetic Frequencies that Create Stability of Biological Order, With Implications for Brain Function and Consciousness

Geesink¹,

Meijer

2016

Neuroquantology

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We propose a hypothesis of a mathematical algorithm for coherent quantum frequencies, that may create stability of biological order. The concept is based on an extensive literature survey, comprising 175 articles from 1950 to 2015, dealing with effects of electromagnetic radiation on in vitro and in vivo life systems, indicating that typical discrete coherent frequencies of electromagnetic waves are able to stabilize cells, whereas others cause a clear destabilization. We find support for the hypothesis of H. Fröhlich, that a driven set of oscillators condenses in a broad energy range, may activate a vibrational mode in life organisms at room temperature. Taking into account the life sustaining frequencies, as extracted from literature, an algorithm of coherent frequencies of standing waves for the stability of biological order was inferred. Interestingly, we found that the origin of the particular biological algorithm can be mathematically approached by a selected "tempered Pythagorean" reference acoustic scale. The algorithm expresses one-dimensional wave equations known for vibrating strings. The origin of the biological algorithm was condensed in a mathematical expression, in which all frequencies have ratios of 1:2 and closely approach ratios of 2:3. This inferred algorithm was subsequently verified with regard to various frequencies of electromagnetic waves, as applied in the above-mentioned independent biological studies. It was also matched with a range of 23 different measured quantum resonances emitted by a selected inorganic silicate mineral, that is able to catalyze the oligomerization of RNA. The selected silicate was experimentally shown to act as a quantum replicator, specifically emitting EM radiation at frequencies that are fully in line with this algorithm. Such silicate quantum replicators, therefore may have been instrumental in the initiation of first replicating, life, cells at the edge of pre-biotic evolution. Our model may imply that, at the quantum scale, an underlying electromagnetically defined order may have been present, that was a prerequisite for the coding of synthesis and functional arrangement of cellular elements in biological evolution. Far infrared dynamics, reminiscent of coherent nonrelativistic super fluids in 3+1-dimensions, may have played a role. Finally, we address the question whether the identified electromagnetic fields may also influence neural systems in general and human (self) consciousness in particular. We are finding support for recent electromagnetic and stochastic zero-point energy field theories in quantum consciousness studies. The striking similarity of electromagnetic wave frequencies, detected by us in the biological studies, and in selected clay minerals, as well as in color spectra, tone scales and sound induced geometric Chladni patterns, may indicate that we identified the involvement of a universal electromagnetic principle, that underlies the observed life sustaining effects and also may have been instrumental in the creation of biologica...

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Vibrations, quanta and biology

Cited by 561 publications

References 174 publications

Nature does not rely on long-lived electronic quantum coherence for photosynthetic energy transfer

Nature does not rely on long-lived electronic quantum coherence for photosynthetic energy transfer

Robustness, efficiency, and optimality in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson photosynthetic pigment-protein complex

Quantum Wave Information of Life Revealed: An Algorithm for Electromagnetic Frequencies that Create Stability of Biological Order, With Implications for Brain Function and Consciousness

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