Testing Orch-OR: Microtubule Quantum Coherence Versus Thermal Decoherence — E8 Intelligence Research
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: FINDING: Microtubule quantum coherence experiments test whether Orch-OR (Penrose–Hameroff) predicts sustained quantum superpositions in tubulin lattices; current evidence is suggestive but not conclusive. | MATH: Key quantities: decoherence time τ_D vs. neural timescale τ_neural (~10⁻³ s); tubulin dimer spacing d ≈ 8 nm (lattice constant of microtubule B-lattice); Fröhlich condensate frequency ω ≈ 10¹¹–10¹² Hz; thermal decoherence rate Γ ≈ k_B T / ℏ at T = 310 K → Γ ~ 10¹³ s⁻¹. | CONNECTION: Microtubule lattice is a helical Bravais lattice with 13 protofilaments (13 = Fibonacci number F₇), 3-start helix, dimer repeat 8 nm, pitch ~12 nm. 13/8 ≈ 1.625 ≈ φ (0.7% deviation). | DEPTH: 6 --- **1. Key mathematical insight** The Orch-OR hypothesis reduces to an inequality: τ_D > τ_neural where τ_D is the quantum coherence lifetime of tubulin superpositions and τ_neural ~ 10⁻³ s is the relevant neural integration time. Tegmark (2000) computed τ_D ~ 10⁻¹³ s from k_B T/ℏ, killing the hypothe Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com
Author: Caldin, Andrew Stewart
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225014822