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Focus Group 2012/2013

Quantum Mechanical Processes in Biological Systems

Die Quantenmechanik hat unser Verständnis der Natur verändert und ermöglicht uns, ein sehr breites Spektrum an Phänomenen zu erklären, angefangen von einzelnen Atomen und Molekülen bis hin zum Ferromagnetismus und zur Supraleitfähigkeit. Dennoch erfordern einige der spektakulärsten Vorhersagen der Quantenmechanik – einschließlich der Superposition von Zuständen, die nach klassischer Definition verschieden sind, etwa im Gedankenexperiment "Schrödingers Katze", und der Quantenverschränkung, die zu nicht-lokalen Korrelationen zwischen entfernten Objekten führt – eine fast vollkommene Isolation der untersuchten Systeme, die nur in Laboren für Tieftemperaturphysik möglich ist. Dennoch haben die experimentellen Fortschritte – insbesondere auf dem Gebiet der Spektroskopie und der Dynamik in kondensierten Phasen – in den vergangenen Jahren gezeigt, dass Quantenphänomene auch in einigen biologischen Systemen eine Schlüsselrolle spielen. Zu den Beispielen dafür gehört die Energieübertragung in photosynthetischen Lichtsammelkomplexen, der Tunneleffekt von Elektronen und Wasserstoffatomen bei Enzymreaktionen, die Wahrnehmung magnetischer Felder durch Vögel und andere Tiere und die molekulare Grundlage des Geruchssinns. 

Diese Beobachtungen werfen quälende Fragen nach der biologischen Bedeutung der Quantenphänomene auf. Sind diese Phänomene einfach nur Überbleibsel jener zugrundeliegenden quantenchemischen Struktur der Moleküle, aus denen lebende Organismen bestehen, oder dienen sie einem biologischen Zweck? Diese Probleme gehören zu den faszinierendsten Fragekomplexen auf einem im Wachstum begriffenen Forschungsfeld und bisher haben wir keine klaren Antworten. In unserer Schwerpunktgruppe wollen wir uns mit diesen Fragen beschäftigen – teils anhand der Analyse eines breiteren Spektrums biologischer Prozesse, bei denen Quantenkohärenz vielleicht eine Rolle spielt, und teils durch die Entwicklung neuer Experimente, die vielleicht ein anderes Licht auf die Existenz der Quantenverschränkung werfen können.


Whaley, K. B. et al. (2011). "Quantum entanglement phenomena in photo-synthetic light harvesting complexes." Procedia Chemistry 3: 152.
Engel, G. et al. (2007). "Evidence for wavelike energy transfer through quantum coherence in photosynthetic systems." Nature 446, 782. 
Ritz, T. et al. (2004). "Resonance effects indicate a radical-pair mechanism for avian magnetic compass." Nature 429, 177.

  • Quantum Mechanical Processes in Biological Systems

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