Terahertz radiation induces non-thermal structural changes associated with Frohlich condensation in a protein crystal.

ABSTRACT: Whether long-range quantum coherent states could exist in biological systems, and beyond low-temperature regimes where quantum physics is known to be applicable, has been the subject to debate for decades. It was proposed by Fröhlich that vibrational modes within protein molecules can order and condense into a lowest-frequency vibrational mode in a process similar to Bose-Einstein condensation, and thus that macroscopic coherence could potentially be observed in biological systems. Despite the prediction of these so-called Fröhlich condensates almost five decades ago, experimental evidence thereof has been lacking. Here, we present the first experimental observation of Fröhlich condensation in a protein structure. To that end, and to overcome the challenges associated with probing low-freq

SUBMITTER: Lundholm IV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4711649 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature