Friday, January 11, 2013

Phonon antennae

One of the problems for quantum biology - if you are looking for quantum coherence at the scale of tissues, and not just within a single macromolecule - is, how is quantum coherence created and sustained at those scales? There seem to be two options regarding the mode of interaction: photons and phonons. That is, electromagnetism, and quantized mechanical vibration.

In this regard, the concept of a "phonon antenna", introduced by the quantum biology group at Ulm, looks important - as a type of physical structure that would be an important causal nexus in phonon-induced mesoscopic quantum coherence.