Quantum entanglement of living bacteria with photons
Jovan Tijanic
Quantum theory is an important aspect of modern physics that explores the counterintuitive but fascinating behaviour of nature at the subatomic and atomic scales. It has numerous practical applications (transistors, lasers, atomic clocks, and MRI,[1] to name a few) and offers fascinating possibilities for future technological development (quantum computers, for example). [References – in square brackets – are listed in the order to which they are first referred in the essay.] Quantum effects are an integral part of the physical world, which raises questions of how they occur in living organisms and whether the organisms evolved to take advantage of those effects. A recent experiment based at the University of Sheffield initially investigating energy pathways of bacteria has revealed upon further analysis that the bacteria might have entangled with the light used in the experiment. But first, we will attempt to describe quantum entanglement for those unfamiliar with the phenomenon. Let’s say that two particles interact in some wa y (collide, for example), entangling in the process, and are then separated at an arbitrarily large distance. Measuring the value of a property (like spin) of one particle instantly ‘sets’ the value of the same property of the other particle, no matter the distance of separation. This is remarkable considering that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum (which does not necessarily mean the particles are violating this limit by sharing information during the measurement). These two particles can no longer be considered as separate entities. Entanglement has many applications in quantum computing and cryptography, among other fields of study. (See [2,3] for further explanation.) For the sake of clarity brief explanations of certain other terms will follow, all derived from the referenced sources. A pattern of motion which has the property that at any point the object moves perfectly sinusoidally, and that all points move at the same frequency, is called a mode.[4] An Optical (micro)cavity or optical (micro)resonator is an arrangement of optical components which allows a beam of light to circulate in a closed path, confining the light to a small volume.[5, 6] An electron hole (or deficiency) bound to an electron is called an exciton (see [7]). Lastly, the least number of mutually independent parameters (coordinates) required to uniquely define a system’s position in space, time, etc., is the number of so-called degrees of freedom (see [8]). Many physicists believed that observing quantum effects in living systems was impossible. One such physicist was Niels Bohr, a pioneer of quantum theory. This seem to be because the instruments used to observe these effects would exchange energywith the objects observed, interferingwith the effect.[9] However, advances in both theoretical and experimental physics now allow scientists to overcome the issue. The scientists who conducted the previously mentioned experiment have published the results in a 2017 paper titled Polaritons in Living Systems: Modifying Energy Landscapes in Photosynthetic Organisms Using a Photonic Structure . The experiment is summarized below (see [10]).
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