Quantum Mechanics in Cell Microtubules: Wild Imagination or Realistic Possibility?

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dc.creatorMavromatos, N. E.
dc.creatorNanopoulos, D. V.
dc.date1998-02-25
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T06:14:49Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T06:14:49Z
dc.descriptionWe focus on potential mechanisms for `energy-loss-free' transport along the cell microtubules, which could be considered as realizations of Fröhlich's ideas on the role of solitons for superconductivity and/or biological matter. In particular, by representing the MT arrangements as `cavities',we present a novel scenario on the formation of macroscopic (or mesoscopic) quantum-coherent states, as a result of the (quantum-electromagnetic) interactions of the MT dimers with the surrounding molecules of the ordered water in the interior of the MT cylinders. We present some generic order of magnitude estimates of the decoherence time in a typical model for MT dynamics. The role of (conjectured) ferroelectric properties of MT arrangements on the above quantum phenomena is emphasized. Based on these considerations, we also present a conjecture on the role of the MT in `holographic' information processing, which resembles the situation encountered in internal source X-ray holography in atomic physics.
dc.description33 pages revtex, axodraw.style. Based on a talk given by N.E.M. at the Workshop `Biophysics of the Cytoskeleton', Banff Conference Center, Canada, August 18-22 1997, to appear in `Advances in Structural Biology'
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9802063
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9802063
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/93608
dc.subjectQuantum Physics
dc.subjectCondensed Matter
dc.titleQuantum Mechanics in Cell Microtubules: Wild Imagination or Realistic Possibility?
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