scholarly journals New insights into the physical processes that underpin cell division and the emergence of different cellular and multicellular structures.

Author(s):  
Philip Turner ◽  
Laurent Nottale ◽  
John Zhao ◽  
Edouard Pesquet

Despite decades of focused research, a detailed understanding of the fundamental physical processes that underpin biological systems (structures and processes) remains an open challenge. Within the present paper we report on biomimetic studies, which offer new insights into the process of cell division and the emergence of different cellular and multicellular structures.Experimental studies specifically investigated the impact of including different con- centrations of charged bio-molecules (cytokinin and gibberellic acid) on the growth of BaCO3 − SiO2 based structures. Results highlighted the role of charge density on the emergence of long-range order, underpinned by a negentropic process. This included the growth of synthetic cell-like structures, with the intrinsic capacity to divide and change morphology at cellular and multicellular scales.Detailed study of dividing structures supports a hypothesis that cell division is de- pendent on the establishment of a charge-induced macroscopic quantum potential and cell-scale quantum coherence, which allows a description in terms of a macroscopic Schrödinger-like equation, based on a constant different from the Planck constant. Whilst the system does not reflect full correspondence with standard quantum mechanics, many of the phenomena that we typically associate with such a system are recovered.In addition to phenomena normally associated with the Schrödinger equation, we also unexpectedly report on the emergence of intrinsic spin as a macroscopic quantum phenomena, whose origins we account for within a four-dimensional fractal space-time and a macroscopic Pauli equation, which represents the non-relativistic limit of the Dirac equation.

Author(s):  
Ana Maria Ariciu ◽  
David H. Woen ◽  
Daniel N. Huh ◽  
Lydia Nodaraki ◽  
Andreas Kostopoulos ◽  
...  

Using electron spins within molecules for quantum information processing (QIP) was first proposed by Leuenberger and Loss (1), who showed how the Grover algorithm could be mapped onto a Mn12 cage (2). Since then several groups have examined two-level (S = ½) molecular spin systems as possible qubits (3-12). There has also been a report of the implementation of the Grover algorithm in a four-level molecular qudit (13). A major challenge is to protect the spin qubit from noise that causes loss of phase information; strategies to minimize the impact of noise on qubits can be categorized as corrective, reductive, or protective. Corrective approaches allow noise and correct for its impact on the qubit using advanced microwave pulse sequences (3). Reductive approaches reduce the noise by minimising the number of nearby nuclear spins (7-11), and increasing the rigidity of molecules to minimise the effect of vibrations (which can cause a fluctuating magnetic field via spin-orbit coupling) (9,11); this is essentially engineering the ligand shell surrounding the electron spin. A protective approach would seek to make the qubit less sensitive to noise: an example of the protective approach is the use of clock transitions to render spin states immune to magnetic fields at first order (12). Here we present a further protective method that would complement reductive and corrective approaches to enhancing quantum coherence in molecular qubits. The target is a molecular spin qubit with an effective 2S ground state: we achieve this with a family of divalent rare-earth molecules that have negligible magnetic anisotropy such that the isotropic nature of the electron spin renders the qubit markedly less sensitive to magnetic noise, allowing coherent spin manipulations even at room temperature. If combined with the other strategies, we believe this could lead to molecular qubits with substantial advantages over competing qubit proposals.<br>


Author(s):  
Alexey V. Kavokin ◽  
Jeremy J. Baumberg ◽  
Guillaume Malpuech ◽  
Fabrice P. Laussy

Microcavity polaritons have demonstrated their unique propensity to host macroscopic quantum phenomena. While they appear to be highly promising for applications in a classical realm, they are still far from competing even with decade old electronics. Another playground where polaritons could emerge as strong contenders is the microscopic quantum regime with single-particle effects and nonlinearities at the one-polariton level. Several theoretical proposals exist to explore polariton blockade mechanisms, realize sophisticated quantum phase transitions, implement quantum simulations and/or quantum information processing, thereby opening a new page of the polariton physics when such ideas will be implemented in the laboratory.


Author(s):  
Felix M. Schulte ◽  
◽  
Axel Wittmann ◽  
Stefan Jung ◽  
Joanna V. Morgan ◽  
...  

AbstractCore from Hole M0077 from IODP/ICDP Expedition 364 provides unprecedented evidence for the physical processes in effect during the interaction of impact melt with rock-debris-laden seawater, following a large meteorite impact into waters of the Yucatán shelf. Evidence for this interaction is based on petrographic, microstructural and chemical examination of the 46.37-m-thick impact melt rock sequence, which overlies shocked granitoid target rock of the peak ring of the Chicxulub impact structure. The melt rock sequence consists of two visually distinct phases, one is black and the other is green in colour. The black phase is aphanitic and trachyandesitic in composition and similar to melt rock from other sites within the impact structure. The green phase consists chiefly of clay minerals and sparitic calcite, which likely formed from a solidified water–rock debris mixture under hydrothermal conditions. We suggest that the layering and internal structure of the melt rock sequence resulted from a single process, i.e., violent contact of initially superheated silicate impact melt with the ocean resurge-induced water–rock mixture overriding the impact melt. Differences in density, temperature, viscosity, and velocity of this mixture and impact melt triggered Kelvin–Helmholtz and Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities at their phase boundary. As a consequence, shearing at the boundary perturbed and, thus, mingled both immiscible phases, and was accompanied by phreatomagmatic processes. These processes led to the brecciation at the top of the impact melt rock sequence. Quenching of this breccia by the seawater prevented reworking of the solidified breccia layers upon subsequent deposition of suevite. Solid-state deformation, notably in the uppermost brecciated impact melt rock layers, attests to long-term gravitational settling of the peak ring.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Wang ◽  
Jingjing Xu ◽  
Yanbin Ge ◽  
Shengyong Xu ◽  
Yanjun Fu ◽  
...  

Abstract The physical processes occurring at open Na+ channels in neural fibers are essential for understanding the nature of neural signals and the mechanism by which the signals are generated and transmitted along nerves. However, there is less generally accepted description of these physical processes. We studied changes in the transmembrane ionic flux and the resulting two types of electromagnetic signals by simulating the Na+ transport across a bionic nanochannel model simplified from voltage-gated Na+ channels. Results show that the Na+ flux can reach a steady state in approximately 10 ns owing to the dynamic equilibrium of Na+ ions concentration difference between the both sides of membrane. After characterizing the spectrum and transmission of these two electromagnetic signals, the low-frequency transmembrane electric field is regarded as the physical quantity transmitting in waveguide-like lipid dielectric layer and triggering the neighboring voltage-gated channels. Factors influencing the Na+ flux transport are also studied. The impact of the Na+ concentration gradient is found higher than that of the initial transmembrane potential on the Na+ transport rate, and introducing the surface-negative charge in the upper third channel could increase the transmembrane Na+ current. This work can be further studied by improving the simulation model; however, the current work helps to better understand the electrical functions of voltage-gated ion channels in neural systems.


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