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Quantum Reports

Parametric Resonance via Neuronal Microtubules: Filtering Optical Signals by Tryptophan Qubits

Akihiro Nishiyama, Shigenori Tanaka, Jack A. Tuszyński

Published Sep 17, 2025• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper aims to address the possibility of parametric resonance effects in microtubules via tryptophan qubits, using the Hamiltonian of the cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) model involving photons in a waveguide and the surrounding environment. The time evolution equations for qubits and photons are derived using the input–output formulation. Input signals with a 560 nm wavelength are amplified by Rabi oscillations for tryptophan qubits in excited states. Here, the qubits organized in multiple layers are all in excited states. When an appropriate decay to the environment occurs as internal loss, which is prepared in multiple layers, we find binary patterns of the parametric amplification of input signals and the reduction of output signals. This property might help us to understand the information processing of optical signals by filtering them with the use of tryptophan residues in microtubules and diffused nonlocal processing spreading over the whole brain in the form of holograms.

DOI
10.3390/quantum7030043

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Water and tryptophan qubits in neuronal microtubules: manipulating holographic information by photon supply

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Abstract This paper provides a model of how tryptophan and water qubit states in neuronal microtubules can be manipulated by external photon supply. The formalism employed is cavity quantum electrodynamics represented by Tavis–Cummings Hamiltonian with the degrees of freedom that include upper polariton, lower polariton (LP) states and dark states, coupled with photons in a waveguide and the environment. Time-evolution equations for tryptophan and water qubits and photons are derived. Within this framework, a possible phase-modulation mechanism relevant to holographic information processing is proposed and described. External photon supply at frequencies corresponding to LP states might induce dynamical evolution in tryptophan and water qubits, suggesting a possible phase-modulation mechanism relevant to holographic information processing.

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In this paper, we introduce waveguide Quantum Electrodynamics (wQED) for the description of tryptophans in microtubules representing data qubits for information storage and, possibly, information processing. We propose a Hamiltonian in wQED and derive Heisenberg equations for qubits and photons. Using the Heisenberg equations, we derive time-evolution equations for the probability of qubits and the distribution of photons both at zero and finite temperature. We then demonstrate the resultant sub-radiance with small decay rates, which is required to achieve robust data qubits for information storage by coupling tryptophan residues containing data qubits with water molecules as Josephson quantum filters (JQFs). We also describe an oscillation processes of qubits in a tubulin dimer through the propagation of excitations with changing decay rates of JQFs. Data qubits are found to retain initial values by adopting sub-radiant states involving entanglement with water degrees of freedom.

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A primary model of decoherence in neuronal microtubules based on the interaction Hamiltonian between microtubules and plasmon in neurons

Zuoxian Xiang, Chuanxiang Tang, Lixin Yan

Microtubules (MTs) are part of the cellular cytoskeleton and they play a role in many activities, such as cell division and maintenance of cell shape. In recent years, MTs have been thought to be involved in storing and processing information. Several models have been developed to describe the information-processing ability of MTs. In these models, MTs are considered as a device that can transmit quantum information. However, MTs are affected by the “wet and warm” cellular environment, thus it is essential to calculate the decoherence time. Many researchers have attempted to calculate this parameter but the values that have been obtained vary markedly. Previous studies considered the cellular environment as a distant ion; however, this treatment is somewhat simplified. In this study, we develop a model to determine the decoherence time in neuronal MTs while considering the interaction effects of the neuronal fluid environment. The neuronal environment is considered as a plasmon reservoir. The coupling between MTs and neuronal environment occurs due to the interaction between dipoles and plasmon. The interaction Hamiltonian is derived by using the second quantization method, and the coupling coefficient is calculated. Finally, the decoherence time scale is estimated according to the interaction Hamiltonian. In this paper, the time scale of decoherence in MTs is approximately 1 fs-100 fs. This model may be used as a reference in other decoherence processes in biological tissues.

Chinese Physics B•Apr 1, 2019•3 citations
This paper aims to address the possibility of parametric resonance effects in microtubules via tryptophan qubits, using the Hamiltonian of the cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) model involving photons in a waveguide and the surrounding environment. The time evolution equations for qubits and photons are derived using the input–output formulation. Input signals with a 560 nm wavelength are amplified by Rabi oscillations for tryptophan qubits in excited states. Here, the qubits organized in multiple layers are all in excited states. When an appropriate decay to the environment occurs as internal loss, which is prepared in multiple layers, we find binary patterns of the parametric amplification of input signals and the reduction of output signals. This property might help us to understand the information processing of optical signals by filtering them with the use of tryptophan residues in microtubules and diffused nonlocal processing spreading over the whole brain in the form of holograms.
Abstract This paper provides a model of how tryptophan and water qubit states in neuronal microtubules can be manipulated by external photon supply. The formalism employed is cavity quantum electrodynamics represented by Tavis–Cummings Hamiltonian with the degrees of freedom that include upper polariton, lower polariton (LP) states and dark states, coupled with photons in a waveguide and the environment. Time-evolution equations for tryptophan and water qubits and photons are derived. Within this framework, a possible phase-modulation mechanism relevant to holographic information processing is proposed and described. External photon supply at frequencies corresponding to LP states might induce dynamical evolution in tryptophan and water qubits, suggesting a possible phase-modulation mechanism relevant to holographic information processing.
In this paper, we introduce waveguide Quantum Electrodynamics (wQED) for the description of tryptophans in microtubules representing data qubits for information storage and, possibly, information processing. We propose a Hamiltonian in wQED and derive Heisenberg equations for qubits and photons. Using the Heisenberg equations, we derive time-evolution equations for the probability of qubits and the distribution of photons both at zero and finite temperature. We then demonstrate the resultant sub-radiance with small decay rates, which is required to achieve robust data qubits for information storage by coupling tryptophan residues containing data qubits with water molecules as Josephson quantum filters (JQFs). We also describe an oscillation processes of qubits in a tubulin dimer through the propagation of excitations with changing decay rates of JQFs. Data qubits are found to retain initial values by adopting sub-radiant states involving entanglement with water degrees of freedom.
Microtubules host dense ultraviolet-absorbing aromatic networks, suggesting an opportunity to engineer their optical response for biotechnology. Here we assess the feasibility of tuning microtubule fluorescence by combining an excitonic radiative-coupling model with molecular-dynamics-derived microtubule-like assemblies and steady-state absorbance and fluorescence measurements in microplate geometries. Simulations quantify how positional and orientational fluctuations reshape radiative rates and quantum yield, and predict how perturbing the tryptophan network by removing a specific site, adding an extra tryptophan at candidate binding pockets, or using mixed modification fractions can modulate emission. Experiments on porcine tubulin dimers and taxol-stabilized microtubules support these trends: polymerization enhances microtubule quantum yield at 280 nm and yields bounded changes at 295 nm due to scattering, while added L-tryptophan reproducibly quenches microtubules at both wavelengths. Together, theory and experiment provide evidence for chemically addressable tuning of microtubule quantum yield and motivate design rules for engineered microtubule photonics.
Networks of aromatic amino acid residues within microtubules, particularly those formed by tryptophan, may serve as pathways for optical information flow. Ultraviolet excitation dynamics in these networks are typically modeled with effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. By extending this approach to a Lindblad master equation that incorporates explicit site geometries and dipole orientations, we track how correlations are generated, routed, and dissipated, while capturing both energy dissipation and information propagation among coupled chromophores. We compare localized injections, fully delocalized preparations, and eigenmode-based initial states. To quantify the emerging quantum-informational structure, we evaluate the L1L_1L1​ norm of coherence, the correlated coherence, and the logarithmic negativity within and between selected chromophore sub-networks. The results reveal a strong dependence of both the direction and persistence of information flow on the type of initial preparation. Superradiant components drive the rapid export of correlations to the environment, whereas subradiant components retain them and slow their leakage. Embedding single tubulin units into larger dimers and spirals reshapes pairwise correlation maps and enables site-selective routing. Scaling to larger ordered lattices strengthens both export and retention channels, whereas static energetic and structural disorder suppresses long-range transport and reduces overall correlation transfer. These findings provide a Lindbladian picture of information flow in cytoskeletal chromophore networks and identify structural and dynamical conditions that transiently preserve nonclassical correlations in microtubules.
Abstract The future of quantum information processing hinges on chip-scale nanophotonics, specifically cavity QED and waveguide QED. One of the foremost processes underpinning quantum photonic technologies is the phenomenon of Rabi oscillations, which manifests when a qubit is irradiated by an intense laser source. Departing from the conventional semiclassical framework, we explore the more general, quantum theoretical case where the optical excitation takes the form of a multiphoton Fock state, and the qubit couples to a continuum of radiation modes. By employing the real-space formalism, we analytically explore the scattering dynamics of the photonic Fock state as it interfaces with a two-level emitter. The resulting amplitude for atomic excitation features a linear superposition of various independent scattering events that are triggered by the potential of sequential, time-delayed photon absorptions and emissions. The lowest-order excitation event, initiated by the stochastic scattering of one of the several photons, appropriately characterizes the dynamics in a weak-field environment. This event is complemented by a multitude of higher-order scattering events ensuing from repeated atom–photon interactions. The temporal evolution of the qubit excitation in our configuration closely mirrors the semiclassical predictions, particularly in the strong-pumping limit where Rabi oscillations unfold. Notably, this compatibility with the semiclassical paradigm transcends beyond the strong-excitation regime and applies both to the weak-driving and large-detuning limits. In a nutshell, our analysis extends the existing results on quantum Rabi oscillations pertinent to single-mode cavity QED, to the multimode, waveguide-QED configurations wherein flying photons are the information carriers. Additionally, we delve into the dynamics of pulsed wave packets, shedding light on the potential to substantially enhance excitation efficiency, even in scenarios involving just a few photons. Beyond their theoretical merit, these findings should hold practical relevance for future Fock-state-based quantum computing and emerging waveguide-integrated photonic technologies such as those involving superconducting circuitry.
Microtubules (MTs) are part of the cellular cytoskeleton and they play a role in many activities, such as cell division and maintenance of cell shape. In recent years, MTs have been thought to be involved in storing and processing information. Several models have been developed to describe the information-processing ability of MTs. In these models, MTs are considered as a device that can transmit quantum information. However, MTs are affected by the “wet and warm” cellular environment, thus it is essential to calculate the decoherence time. Many researchers have attempted to calculate this parameter but the values that have been obtained vary markedly. Previous studies considered the cellular environment as a distant ion; however, this treatment is somewhat simplified. In this study, we develop a model to determine the decoherence time in neuronal MTs while considering the interaction effects of the neuronal fluid environment. The neuronal environment is considered as a plasmon reservoir. The coupling between MTs and neuronal environment occurs due to the interaction between dipoles and plasmon. The interaction Hamiltonian is derived by using the second quantization method, and the coupling coefficient is calculated. Finally, the decoherence time scale is estimated according to the interaction Hamiltonian. In this paper, the time scale of decoherence in MTs is approximately 1 fs-100 fs. This model may be used as a reference in other decoherence processes in biological tissues.