Work

Temporal witnesses of non-classicality in a macroscopic biological system

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Exciton transfer along a bio-polymer is essential for many biological processes, for instance, light harvesting in photosynthetic biosystems. Here we apply a new witness of non-classicality to this phenomenon, to conclude that, if an exciton can mediate the coherent quantum evolution of a photon, then the exciton is non-classical. We then propose a general qubit model for the quantum transfer of an exciton along a bio-polymer chain, also discussing the effects of environmental decoherence. The generality of our results makes them ideal candidates to design new tests of quantum features in complex bio-molecules.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66159-x

Authors: Giuseppe Di Pietra, Vlatko Vedral, Chiara Marletto

Institution: University of Oxford

Language: English

Topic: Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,590

Funders: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Somerville College, University of Oxford, Clarendon Fund