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Biophysicists theorize that
plants tap into the eerie world of quantum entanglement during photosynthesis. But the evidence
to date has been purely circumstantial. Now, scientists have discovered a feature of plants that cannot be explained by classical physics alone - but which quantum mechanics answers quite nicely.
The fact that biological systems can exploit quantum effects is quite astounding. In a way, they're like mini-
quantum computers capable of scanning all possible options in order to choose the most efficient paths or solutions. For plants, this means the ability to make the most of the energy they receive and then deliver that energy from leaves with near perfect efficiency.
Good VibrationsBut for this to work, plants require the capacity to work in harmony with the wild, wacky, and extremely small world of quantum phenomena. The going theory is that plants have light-gathering macromolecules in their cells that can transfer energy via molecular vibrations - vibrations that have no equivalents in classical physics. Most of these light-gathering macromolecules are comprised of chromophores attached to proteins. These macromolecules carry out the first step of photosynthesis by capturing sunlight and efficiently transferring the energy.
Previous inquiries suggested that this energy is transferred in a wave-like manner, but it was a process that could still be explained by classical physics.
In Perfect Quantum HarmonyIn the new study, however, UCL researchers identified a specific feature in biological systems that can only be predicted by quantum physics. The team learned that the energy transfer in the light-harvesting macromolecules is facilitated by specific vibrational motions of the chromophores.
"We found that the properties of some of the chromophore vibrations that assist energy transfer during photosynthesis can never be described with classical laws, and moreover, this non-classical behaviour enhances the efficiency of the energy transfer," noted supervisor and co-author Alexandra Olaya-Castro in a statement.
The vibrations in question are periodic motions of the atoms within a molecule. It's similar to how an object moves when it's attached to a spring. Sometimes, the energy of two vibrating chromophores match the energy difference between the electronic transitions of chromophores. The result is a coherent exchange of a single quantum of energy.
"When this happens electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom are jointly and transiently in a superposition of quantum states, a feature that can never be predicted with classical physics," explained study co-author Edward O'Reilly.
In other words, quantum effects improve the efficiency of plant photosynthesis in a way that classical physics cannot allow. Which is pretty wild if you ask me.
Read the entire study at
Nature Communications: "
Non-classicality of the molecular vibrations assisting exciton energy transfer at room temperature."
QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT
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Now, Feynman was never able to give this mechanical interpretation; or if he was, he never admitted it. But his method would have allowed him to explain entanglement without force at a distance. In this way: since each photon has both a turning clock and a vector, each photon has both a wave motion and a linear motion. This means that the wave belongs to each photon, not to the set of photons. This is revolutionary because, in this way, light is no longer analogous to sound: it is not a field wave, but a particle with spin. The wave belongs to each particle, and may be assigned to a mechanical motion: spin. If each photon has a real spin with a real wavelength and a real period of rotation, then we can use that period of rotation to track it. Using Feynman's little turning clock, we can follow the photon, no matter how far it travels, and predict with some certainty what state it will be in. We cannot say that the clock will be at 6 or 12, but, given an initial state, we can predict a final state. If the clock was initially at 12, after some time we can predict that the clock will be at 12 again. To do this, we only need to know the period of rotation and the time of travel. If we know the wavelength, we can calculate the period of rotation quite easily, so this is not a difficult problem mathematically. Once we sort through the mechanics, the math becomes simple.
This explains entanglement because we do know an initial state. We don't know if the quanta are at 12 or 6 on the clock face, but we might know one is opposite the other, for example. If one is at 6, the other is at 12. If they have the same periods of rotation, then after any time, they will still be opposite, without any communication between them. Other relationships will also be trackable and stable, as long as the periods of rotation are known relative to eachother. In other words, as long as we know sizes and wavelengths, we can predict comparative wave positions at any distance or time away from collision.
This is the mechanical explanation of entanglement, without spooky forces. Albert and Bell have both been proven wrong, by direct demonstration.
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To read more on entanglement, you may now go to my new paper on the CHSH Bell tests, unveiling the terrible mathematical cheat at the heart of these experiments. This leaves entanglement in tatters.