Quantum Coherence in Posner Molecules: Symmetry Breaking Undermines Consciousness Qubit Claims — E8 Intelligence Research
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: FINDING: Posner molecule (Ca₉(PO₄)₆) quantum coherence evidence is contested; the dynamical ensemble is *not* symmetric, undermining claims of long-lived nuclear spin qubits for consciousness. | MATH: Ca₉(PO₄)₆ — 9 Ca²⁺, 6 PO₄³⁻; nuclear spin-1/2 on ³¹P (6 sites); proposed ⁴⁵Ca (I=7/2) quadrupolar coupling; the arXiv paper (2108.08822v2) shows the ensemble average over molecular orientations breaks the assumed permutation symmetry of the 6 phosphate groups, reducing the effective Hilbert space dimension from 2⁶=64 to a smaller, symmetry-broken subspace; no closed-form equation given, but the key result is that the dynamical algebra is not S₆-symmetric, so the purported long coherence times (τ > 100 s) fail under realistic tumbling. | CONNECTION: The *broken* symmetry is the inverse of crystallographic harmony — the molecule's point group is not the ideal octahedral/tetrahedral (O_h or T_d) but a lower-symmetry C₁ or C_s in solution; the golden ratio appears nowhere in the data; however Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com
Author: Caldin, Andrew Stewart
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204162832
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