Quantum physics and biology have long been regarded as unrelated disciplines, describing nature at the inanimate microlevel on the one hand and living species on the other hand. Over the past decades the life sciences have succeeded in providing ever more and refined explanations of macroscopic phenomena that were based on an improved understanding of molecular structures and mechanisms. Simultaneously, quantum physics, originally rooted in a world-view of quantum coherences, entanglement, and other nonclassical effects, has been heading toward systems of increasing complexity. The present perspective article shall serve as a "pedestrian guide" to the growing interconnections between the two fields. We recapitulate the generic and sometimes unintuitive characteristics of quantum physics and point to a number of applications in the life sciences. We discuss our criteria for a future "quantum biology," its current status, recent experimental progress, and also the restrictions that nature imposes on bold extrapolations of quantum theory to macroscopic phenomena.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2976/1.3244985 | DOI Listing |
Phys Chem Chem Phys
January 2025
LPHE-MS, Faculty of Science, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco.
This study explores the optoelectronic and photovoltaic potential of acceptor-π-donor (A-π-D) architectures utilizing CSi quantum dots (CSiQDs) through a combination of density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT). We examined two key structural configurations: C-C and Si-C conformers. In these systems, CSiQDs serve as the acceptor, CHSF as the π-bridge, and 3 × (CHO) as the donor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Chem Chem Phys
January 2025
Institute of Chemistry, Department of Fundamental Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 748 - Butantã, São Paulo, 05508-900, Brazil.
The conformational isomerization of nitrous acid (HONO) promoted by excitation of the or stretching normal coordinates is the first observed case of an infrared-induced photochemical reaction. The energy captured by the excited normal modes is redistributed into a highly excited vibrational level of the torsion normal coordinate, which is the isomerization reaction coordinate. Herein, we present simple numerical methods to qualitatively investigate the coupling between the normal coordinates and the possible gateways for vibrational energy redistribution leading to the isomerization process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
January 2025
Department of Physics, Facility of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The influence of variations in indium concentration and temperature on threshold current density (J) in In Ga As/GaAs ( = 0, 0.8 and 0.16) quantum dot (QD) laser diodes - synthesized via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with three distinct indium concentrations on GaAs (001) substrates - was meticulously examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Departament de Fisica de la Materia Condensada, University of Barcelona, Marti i Franquès 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
We present a nonlinear model of thermal field emission in resonant tunneling nanostructures with multiple barriers and potential wells, based on an accurate determination of the quantum potential shape and a rigorous solution of the Schrödinger equation, while considering thermal balance. The model applies to vacuum and semiconductor resonant tunnel diode and triode structures with two and three electrodes and to the general case of two-way tunneling with electrode heating. The complete balance of heat release and transfer is accounted for, with heat transport considered ballistic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Data
January 2025
School of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland HES-SO, 1951, Sion, Switzerland.
With the ongoing energy transition, power grids are evolving fast. They operate more and more often close to their technical limit, under more and more volatile conditions. Fast, essentially real-time computational approaches to evaluate their operational safety, stability and reliability are therefore highly desirable.
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