A study published on bioRxiv precisely simulated guided mode propagation through the myelin sheath waveguide structure of brain neurons containing multiple nodes of Ranvier. The analysis results confirmed that the polarization information of light is highly preserved even while passing through multiple nodes, and the transmission loss occurring when passing through the nodes remains at the level of simple exponentiated transmission (multiplicative). By demonstrating that photon polarization, which is the core of quantum information encoding, is transmitted without loss, it presents disruptive evidence proving that the implementation of long-distance quantum communication and quantum entanglement mediated by biophotons within the living brain white matter network is physically possible. [Quantum Biology Society] Recently, the hypothesis that the myelin sheath of brain white matter wrapping the axons of neurons can act as an optical fiber (waveguide) guiding light based on its high refractive index has received significant attention from the scientific community. However, it has not been clearly known whether the polarization information of light can be fully preserved when passing through multiple nodes of Ranvier, which are discontinuous structures broken intermittently along the myelin sheath. The paper titled "Optical polarization evolution and transmission in multi-Ranvier-node axonal myelin-sheath waveguides," published on the preprint repository bioRxiv, successfully elucidated this long-standing question through precise simulations. A research team including Emily Frede, Hadi Zadeh-Haghighi, and Professor Christoph Simon from the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Quantum Science and Technology at the University of Calgary in Canada spearheaded this innovative study. ■ Multiple Nodes of Ranvier and Guided Mode Propagation of Light To analyze how light moves inside the myelin sheath waveguide structure, the research team performed guided mode propagation simulations in an environment containing multiple nodes of Ranvier. Previously, concerns had been continuously raised that physical disconnection sections like nodes could induce light scattering and distort signals, making it difficult for in vivo waveguides to transmit meaningful optical information over long distances. ■ Highly Preserved Polarization Information and Low Transmission Loss The simulation results surpassed existing limitations. It was confirmed that the polarization state harbored by the light is highly and stably preserved even in the harsh environment where light consecutively passes through multiple nodes. Furthermore, the optical transmission loss occurring each time it passes through a node does not deteriorate exponentially but remains at a simple exponentiated transmission level. This proves that the myelin sheath is an excellent optical waveguide capable of highly effectively maintaining and transmitting light containing information. ■ Physical Possibility of In Vivo Long-Distance Quantum Communication The polarization state of a photon is an essential physical property for encoding quantum information and implementing entanglement in the microscopic world. As this study demonstrates that the myelin sheath can transmit photon polarization over long distances without loss, it leads to the disruptive conclusion that long-distance quantum communication and quantum entanglement mediated by biophotons are physically and perfectly possible inside the living brain's white matter network. This is evaluated as one of the most advanced biophysical pieces of evidence showing that the human brain can operate as a massive biological quantum network composed of proteins and neural networks. #MyelinSheathWaveguide #MultipleNodesOfRanvier #Biophotons #OpticalPolarization #PolarizationPreservation #QuantumInformation #QuantumEntanglement #LongDistanceQuantumCommunication #BrainWhiteMatterNetwork #KoreanSocietyOfQuantumBiology https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00174
A study published on bioRxiv precisely simulated guided mode propagation through the myelin sheath waveguide structure of brain neurons containing multiple nodes of Ranvier. The analysis results confirmed that the polarization information of light is highly preserved even while passing through multiple nodes, and the transmission loss occurring when passing through the nodes remains at the level of simple exponentiated transmission (multiplicative). By demonstrating that photon polarization, which is the core of quantum information encoding, is transmitted without loss, it presents disruptive evidence proving that the implementation of long-distance quantum communication and quantum entanglement mediated by biophotons within the living brain white matter network is physically possible. [Quantum Biology Society] Recently, the hypothesis that the myelin sheath of brain white matter wrapping the axons of neurons can act as an optical fiber (waveguide) guiding light based on its high refractive index has received significant attention from the scientific community. However, it has not been clearly known whether the polarization information of light can be fully preserved when passing through multiple nodes of Ranvier, which are discontinuous structures broken intermittently along the myelin sheath. The paper titled "Optical polarization evolution and transmission in multi-Ranvier-node axonal myelin-sheath waveguides," published on the preprint repository bioRxiv, successfully elucidated this long-standing question through precise simulations. A research team including Emily Frede, Hadi Zadeh-Haghighi, and Professor Christoph Simon from the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Quantum Science and Technology at the University of Calgary in Canada spearheaded this innovative study. ■ Multiple Nodes of Ranvier and Guided Mode Propagation of Light To analyze how light moves inside the myelin sheath waveguide structure, the research team performed guided mode propagation simulations in an environment containing multiple nodes of Ranvier. Previously, concerns had been continuously raised that physical disconnection sections like nodes could induce light scattering and distort signals, making it difficult for in vivo waveguides to transmit meaningful optical information over long distances. ■ Highly Preserved Polarization Information and Low Transmission Loss The simulation results surpassed existing limitations. It was confirmed that the polarization state harbored by the light is highly and stably preserved even in the harsh environment where light consecutively passes through multiple nodes. Furthermore, the optical transmission loss occurring each time it passes through a node does not deteriorate exponentially but remains at a simple exponentiated transmission level. This proves that the myelin sheath is an excellent optical waveguide capable of highly effectively maintaining and transmitting light containing information. ■ Physical Possibility of In Vivo Long-Distance Quantum Communication The polarization state of a photon is an essential physical property for encoding quantum information and implementing entanglement in the microscopic world. As this study demonstrates that the myelin sheath can transmit photon polarization over long distances without loss, it leads to the disruptive conclusion that long-distance quantum communication and quantum entanglement mediated by biophotons are physically and perfectly possible inside the living brain's white matter network. This is evaluated as one of the most advanced biophysical pieces of evidence showing that the human brain can operate as a massive biological quantum network composed of proteins and neural networks. #MyelinSheathWaveguide #MultipleNodesOfRanvier #Biophotons #OpticalPolarization #PolarizationPreservation #QuantumInformation #QuantumEntanglement #LongDistanceQuantumCommunication #BrainWhiteMatterNetwork #KoreanSocietyOfQuantumBiology https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00174
• A study published on arXiv presents an entangled biphoton generation model within a cylindrical microcavity formed by the myelin sheath. • Confirmed the promotion of spontaneous biphoton emission and quantum entanglement in the vibrational spectrum of C-H bonds within the lipid molecule tails. • Suggests the possibility that the brain actively utilizes quantum communication network resources for synchronized neuronal activity and ultra-high-speed information transfer. [Quantum Biology Society] How millions of neurons in the human brain synchronize so rapidly and perfectly to perform conscious and cognitive functions is one of the long-standing mysteries of classical neurobiology. Recently, an innovative physical and mathematical model explaining this mystery through the microscopic phenomenon of quantum entanglement has been proposed, drawing the attention of the academic community. According to the study titled "Entangled biphoton generation in myelin sheath," released on the preprint repository arXiv, the core structure enabling quantum communication in the brain's neural network is the myelin sheath, an insulator surrounding the neural axon. A joint research team including Zefei Liu and Professor Ping Ao from Shanghai University in China applied cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED) to explain that the myelin sheath functions not merely as an electrical insulating material, but as a kind of cylindrical microcavity that confines and controls light (photons). ■ Entangled Photon Pairs Created by the Vibration of Lipid Molecules Inside this microcavity, continuous vibrations of C-H bonds occur, which are abundant in the tail sections of the lipid molecules constituting the myelin sheath. The researchers' calculations showed that spontaneous biphoton emission is significantly promoted through the cascade emission process of this vibrational spectrum. The unique cylindrical geometric structure of the myelin sheath aids the emission of photons, consequently generating a substantial amount of entangled photon pairs. In other words, the massive number of C-H bond vibrational units existing inside neurons was serving as a source of immense quantum entanglement resources encompassing the entire nervous system. ■ Is the Brain a Giant Quantum Communication Network? The researchers analyzed that the quantum entanglement resources generated in this way could be directly utilized for quantum information transfer, synchronizing scattered neuronal activities across the brain at ultra-high speeds. They explained that widespread synchronization of the brain could be achieved through the nonlocal characteristic of quantum entanglement, which instantaneously shares states even when spatially separated. This study, demonstrating that the brains of living organisms can fundamentally operate as a giant quantum communication network beyond classical electro-chemical signals, is expected to open a completely new paradigm in elucidating the brain's information processing mechanisms and the origins of human consciousness in the future.
Photons, the fundamental quanta of the electromagnetic field, travel at the fastest possible speed, and interact relatively weakly with the environment. These features make them ideal for several practical applications, particularly in the transport of both classical and quantum information. One could also wonder whether nature itself realized the usefulness of these unique entities and through evolution made living beings rely on them for some physiological functions. In my thesis, I cover an example for each of these roles a photon can take. As the first example, I describe our theoretical work pertaining to an important practical application where photons can carry quantum information and mediate entanglement between distant quantum computing nodes. We designed a novel quantum repeater architecture using superconducting processors and optical links, which we believe is the first concrete proposal towards this goal. We compared our repeater’s performance with a few other promising approaches and showed that ours could yield higher entanglement distribution rates with good fidelities in appropriate regimes. Such an architecture could be pertinent to envision a quantum internet in the future, something that would be analogous to, but much more secure and powerful in certain aspects than today’s classical internet. As the second example, I describe our theoretical work where we speculate on the potential role of photons observed in mammalian brains. Could we be using these photons as information carriers in addition to the well-known electrochemical signals? We show, based on detailed theoretical modelling, that myelinated axons could serve as good optical waveguides in the brain, which can answer this question in the affirmative. Ours is the first proposal identifying myelinated axons as potential optical waveguides. There is indirect experimental evidence to support this hypothesis, and we propose precise experiments to test the waveguide capabilities directly. Since these photons can also in principle carry quantum information, we further speculate on the existence of quantum networks in the brain. Our work could help develop a better understanding of some of the biggest unsolved problems in neuroscience, possibly including the generation of our subjective conscious experience.
• Published on bioRxiv, successfully observed multiple-quantum coherence (MQC) and SU(1,1) pair dynamics in proton spin ensembles of the living human brain. • Mathematically proved that the observed signal is not a classical SU(2) exchange model, but a non-compact SU(1,1) symmetry squeezing phenomenon based on double-quantum (DQ) coherence. • Overcame the thermodynamic obstruction of high-temperature biological environments at body temperature and presented a framework that strongly supports the possible existence of macroscopic many-body entanglement inside the brain. [Quantum Biology Society] The hypothesis that the living human brain could fundamentally operate like a giant quantum computer has long been a hot potato in the scientific community. This is because conventional physics dictates that quantum coherence collapses instantaneously in a warm and wet biological environment (about 310 K). However, a recent study has sent shockwaves through the academic world by discovering clear signal-level evidence of macroscopic quantum entanglement and multiple-quantum coherence (MQC) in the proton spin ensembles inside the human brain. An innovative paper titled "Signal-Level Witnessing of SU(1,1) Pair Dynamics in Brain Proton Spin Ensembles" was published on the preprint repository bioRxiv. Authored solely by independent researcher Christian Kerskens, this paper ruled out existing classical exchange pathways and analyzed the quantum dynamics of the brain from a new perspective. ■ SU(1,1) Quantum Squeezing Phenomenon Beyond Classical SU(2) Exchange In conventional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) theory, spin dynamics within dipolar-coupled ensembles of biological tissues have mainly been explained by the compact symmetry SU(2) exchange pathway. SU(2) symmetry creates a classical form of dynamics where spins oscillate and exchange with each other in an energy-constrained environment. However, unusual magnetic resonance data previously acquired from the living human brain exhibited features that directly contradict this SU(2) model. Phenomena that cannot be explained by classical exchange appeared, such as signals occurring immediately without an evolution delay, or refocusing occurring at the sum rather than the difference of the two frequencies. The author of this study, Christian Kerskens, presented a new analytical framework suggesting that these anomalous signals originate from a non-compact SU(1,1) pair sector. SU(1,1) symmetry is mainly dealt with in quantum optics and is the dynamics governing the exponential amplification and quantum squeezing of signals. This is the first time this symmetry has been directly observed in a macroscopic spin ensemble. ■ The Readout Pathway Uncovering Hidden Double-Quantum (DQ) Coherence The most significant characteristic of SU(1,1) pair operators is that they possess a double-quantum (DQ) coherence order rather than zero-quantum (ZQ). In principle, typical detectors cannot directly read these multiple-quantum states. However, the researcher mathematically proved that the unique 45°-gradient-45° pulse readout block used in the experiment provides a specific coherence-transfer pathway that converts this hidden DQ pair coherence into a detectable signal. In other words, he revealed that a specific wave we read as a brain MRI signal was actually the result of an entangled double-quantum state among brain protons. ■ Quantum Proof Overcoming the 'Thermodynamic Obstruction' of 310 K Biological Temperature Another crucial achievement of this study is that it bypassed the pseudopure-state obstruction, a chronic limitation of room-temperature bulk NMR environments. In the high-temperature brain environment, thermodynamic noise is dominant, so an entangled state can never be proven with a bipartite entanglement evaluation formula that isolates and looks at only two spins. The researcher redefined the observed signal not simply as a signal of two isolated spins, but as a collective multiple-quantum coherence (MQC) signal of the entire massive spin ensemble. The observed signal acts as a powerful quantum witness indicating that the macroscopic proton pool of the brain has exceeded the pure single-mode compression limit and entered a complex cross-mode entangled structure. This paper is evaluated as having an enormous impact on the convergence of brain science and quantum biology, as it demonstrated with a rigorous physical framework the possibility that the living human brain possesses a macroscopic quantum state with countless proton spins entangled with each other through SU(1,1) dynamics.
This research investigates the potential of utilizing quantum entanglement to simulate information encoding and decoding mechanisms within biological neural networks. The core premise is that quantum phenomena, specifically entanglement, may play a more significant role in biological neuronal processing than previously acknowledged. This work proposes a novel approach employing quantum bits (qubits) to represent individual neurons, with connections between neurons established through quantum entanglement. The simulation aims to mimic the processes of synaptic transmission and signal propagation observed in biological neural networks. Mathematical formulations describe the evolution of the entangled qubit states under influence of simulated neuronal inputs, and the measurement processes are modeled to represent the observed output signals. This research offers a theoretical framework for exploring the interplay between quantum mechanics and biological neural systems, potentially leading to a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles governing brain function. The study utilizes a discrete-time simulation approach, allowing for a detailed analysis of the dynamics of the entangled neural network. Key performance indicators, such as the fidelity of information transfer and the robustness of the simulated network, are explored. The results suggest that quantum entanglement can provide a viable model for simulating complex neural processes, warranting further investigation into the potential for quantum computing to revolutionize our understanding of the brain.
Understanding the fundamental quantum and classical properties of photons is crucial in a wide range of applications. Photons exhibit quantum entanglement, the strongest form of correlation that has been observed between subsystems. Entanglement is perhaps the most valuable resource for many quantum information and quantum computation tasks, empowering them to be superior to their classical counterparts. Undoubtedly, understanding how entanglement can be generated, manipulated, and measured are among the most pre-eminent research questions in quantum information processing. However, the realm of influence of photons is not just limited to information technologies. Photons are, surprisingly, being produced constantly in biological systems as well. Modeling and characterizing the involvement of photons in various biological processes are active areas of research. In the first part of my Ph.D. program, I focused on the problem of quantifying multi-partite entanglement in a solid, an atomic frequency comb (AFC) crystal, using a single photon. We proposed a novel entanglement witness and showed that our witness is well suited for demonstrating and quantifying multi-partite entanglement in AFC systems. Our results are the first demonstration of multi-partite entanglement in a solid between over two hundred ensembles each containing a billion atoms. The second project of my Ph.D. was motivated by the question of why brain cells are producing biophotons. Photons are known as perfect carriers for information. The brain is the computation centre where all the learning and decision makings are happening. Learning, in theory, is an informational task, and its biological realization in the brain is not completely understood. We asked if photons could play a role in the process of learning in the brain. A common form of learning involves multiple cycles of training, evaluating, and receiving feedback. Both forward and backward parts of these cycles require an information flow. Existing theories mainly focus on neural electrochemical signals. We proposed that biophotons can propagate the feedback teaching signals required for learning in the brain. By multiple numerical experiments simulated on an artificial neural network, we demonstrated that stochastic emissions of biophotons carrying partial backward information enable learning in the network.
Quantum communication between two remote locations often involves remote parties sharing an entangled quantum state. At present, entanglement distribution is usually performed using photons transmitted through optical fibers. However, the absorption of light in the fiber limits the communication distances to less than 200 km, even for optimal photon telecom wavelengths. To increase this distance, the quantum repeater idea was proposed. In the quantum repeater architecture, one divides communication distance into segments of the order of the attenuation length of the photons and places quantum memory nodes at the intermediate locations. Since the photon loss between intermediate locations is low, it is possible then to establish entanglement between intermediate quantum memory nodes. Once entanglement between adjacent nodes is established, one can extend it over larger distances using entanglement swapping.\n\nThe long coherence time of a quantum memory is a crucial requirement for the quantum repeater protocol. It is obvious that the coherence time of a quantum memory should be much longer that the time it takes for light to travel between remote locations. For a communication distance l = 1000 km, the corresponding time is t = l/c = 3.3 ms. One can show that for a simple repeater protocol and realistic success probabilities of entanglement generation, the required coherence time should be on the order of many seconds, while for the more complicated protocols that involve multiplexing and several quantum memory cells per intermediate node, the required coherence time is on the order of milliseconds.\n\nIn this thesis, I describe a quantum memory based on an ensemble of rubidium atoms confined in a one-dimensional optical lattice. The use of the magnetically- insensitive clock transition and suppression of atomic motion allows us to increase coherence time of the quantum memory by two-orders of magnitude compared to previous work. I also propose a method for determining the Zeeman content of atomic samples. In addition, I demonstrate the observation of quantum evolution under continuous measurement. The long quantum memory lifetime demonstrated in this work opens the way for scalable processing of quantum information and long distance quantum communication.