I pick out discussed several times an emerging literature on "quantum consciousness", focusing on Alex Wendt's provocati...
I pick out discussed several times an emerging literature on "quantum consciousness", focusing on Alex Wendt's provocative mass Quantum Mind together with Social Science: Unifying Physical together with Social Ontology. Is it possible inwards theory for cognitive processes, or neuroanatomical functioning, to live on affected yesteryear events at the quantum level? Are at that spot known quantum effects inside biological systems? Here is 1 interesting instance that is currently beingness explored yesteryear biologists: an explanation of the powerfulness of birds to navigate yesteryear the earth's magnetic acre inwards price of the chemical scientific discipline of entangled electrons.
Quantum entanglement is defined every bit a relation betwixt 2 or to a greater extent than micro-particles (photons, electrons, …) inwards which the quantum nation of 1 is entangled alongside the quantum nation of the other. When observation of the starting fourth dimension component subdivision of the couplet brings virtually change of the quantum nation inwards that particle, quantum theory entails that the nation of the instant particle volition modify every bit well.
It has been hypothesized that the powerfulness of birds to navigate yesteryear reference to the earth’s magnetic acre may live on explained yesteryear quantum effects of electrons inwards molecules (cryptochromes) inwards the bird’s retina. Thorsten Ritz is a leader inwards this expanse of research. In "Magnetic Compass of Birds Is Based on a Molecule alongside Optimal Directional Sensitivity" he together with his co-authors describes the hypothesis inwards these price (link):
The radical-pair model (7,8) assumes that these properties of the avian magnetic compass—light-dependence together with insensitivity to polarity—directly reverberate characteristics of the primary processes of magnetoreception. It postulates a crucial role for specialized photopigments inwards the retina. H5N1 light-induced electron-transfer reaction creates a spin- correlated radical couplet alongside singlet together with triplet states. (3451)Here is the chemical scientific discipline from the same article (3452):
Markus Tiersch together with Hans Briegel address these findings inwards "Decoherence inwards the chemic compass: the role of decoherence for avian magnetoreception". They depict the hypothetical machinery of paired-electron chemical scientific discipline every bit a machinery inwards birds for detecting magnetic fields (link):
Certain birds, including the European robin, pick out the remarkable powerfulness to orient themselves, during migration, alongside the assist of the Earth's magnetic acre [3-6]. Responsible for this 'magnetic sense' of the robin, according to 1 of the master copy hypotheses, seems to live on a molecular procedure called the radical couplet machinery [7,8] (also, consider [9,10] for reviews that include the historical evolution together with the detailed facts leading to the hypothesis). It involves a photo-induced spatial separation of 2 electrons, whose spins interact alongside the Earth's magnetic acre until they recombine together with give ascent to chemic products depending on their spin nation upon recombination, together with thereby to a dissimilar neural signal. The spin, every bit a genuine quantum mechanical grade of freedom, thereby controls inwards a non-trivial means a chemic reaction that gives ascent to a macroscopic signal on the retina of the robin, which inwards plow influences the demeanour of the bird. When inspected from the viewpoint of decoherence, it is an intriguing interplay of the coherence (and entanglement) of the initial electron nation together with the environmentally induced decoherence inwards the radical couplet machinery that plays an essential role for the working of the magnetic compass. (4518)So the hypothesis is that birds (and perchance other organisms) pick out evolved ways of exploiting "spin chemistry" to attain a signal from the presence of a magnetic field. What is spin chemistry? Here is a Definition from the spin chemical scientific discipline website (yes, spin chemical scientific discipline has its ain website!) (link):
Broadly defined, Spin Chemistry deals alongside the effects of electron together with nuclear spins inwards particular, together with magnetic interactions inwards general, on the rates together with yields of chemic reactions. It is manifested every bit spin polarization inwards EPR together with NMR spectra together with the magnetic acre dependence of chemic processes. Applications include studies of the mechanisms together with kinetics of costless radical together with biradical reactions inwards solution, the energetics of photosynthetic electron transfer reactions, together with diverse magnetokinetic effects, including possible biological effects of extremely depression frequency together with radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, the mechanisms yesteryear which animals tin feel the Earth’s magnetic acre for orientation together with navigation, together with the possibility of manipulating radical lifetimes then every bit to command the outcome of their reactions. (link)Tiersch together with Briegel teach through the quantum-mathematical details on how this procedure mightiness piece of job inwards the instance of molecules that mightiness live on works life inwards birds' retinas. Here is the determination drawn by Tiersch together with Briegel:
It seems that the radical couplet machinery provides an instructive representative of how the demeanour of macroscopic entities, similar the European robin, may indeed rest connected, inwards an intriguing way, to quantum processes on the molecular level. (4538)This trouble of thought is yet unconfirmed, every bit both Ritz together with Tiersch together with Briegel are careful to emphasize. If confirmed, it would render an affirmative response to the query posed higher upward -- are at that spot biological effects of quantum-mechanical events? But fifty-fifty if confirmed, it doesn't appear similar an enormously surprising result. It traces out a chemic reaction which proceeds differently depending on whether entangled electrons inwards molecules stimulated yesteryear a photon pick out been influenced yesteryear a magnetic field; this gives the biological arrangement a signal virtually the presence of a magnetic acre that does inwards fact depend on the quantum states of a couplet of electrons. Entanglement is at nowadays good confirmed, then this trouble of thought isn't peculiarly radical. But this is exclusively less weird than the thought that quantum particles are "conscious", or that consciousness extends all the means downward to the quantum plane (quantum interactive dualism, every bit Henry Stapp calls it; link). And it is nowhere nearly every bit perplexing every bit the claim that "making upward one's mind" is a shape of a collapsing quantum nation represented yesteryear a component subdivision of the brain.
(Of involvement on this develop of topics is a recent collection, Quantum physics meets the philosophy of mind, edited yesteryear Antonella Corradini together with Uwe Meixne. Here is a video inwards which Hans Briegel discusses enquiry on modeling quantum effects on agents: https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail_object/o:300666.)
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