Event

The Jeffrey I. Mechanick, M.D. Quantum Biology Lecture

Tuesday, October 16, 2018
4:00 p.m.
1410 John S. Toll Physics Building
Anne Suplee
301 405 5944
asuplee@umd.edu
https://umdphysics.umd.edu/events/physicscolloquia.html#vibrations-quanta-biology

Title: Vibrations, Quanta and Biology

Speaker: Martin Plenio, Ulm University

Conventional wisdom has it that the realisation of quantum technologies requires delicate control employing finest technology and a remarkable degree of isolation of the envisaged quantum device from its environment. Typically, this includes ultrahigh vacuum, ultralow temperatures, stable lasers, shielding against stray fields and so forth. In view of this, the warm, wet and noisy environment that characterises physiology does not seem to be the ideal environment in which to observe quantum dynamics and consider its impact on biological function. In this lecture, however, I would like to reason why I believe that this may not be such an adventurous notion after all. Moreover, I will argue that it is indeed the fruitful interplay between quantum dynamics and the unavoidable noise from the physiological environment that leads to optimal functionality in certain biologically relevant tasks. I will provide simplified theoretical examples and numerical analysis to bring out some basic ideas such as that of noise supported dynamics and present some supporting results from experiment.

Martin B Plenio is Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at Ulm University and founding Director of the newly established Center of Quantum BioSciences. He received his Diploma (1992) and PhD (1994) at Göttingen University. In 1995 he became Fedor-Lynen Fellow in the group of Prof. Sir Peter Knight at Imperial College London. In 1998 was appointed to his first faculty position at Imperial College and in 2003 rose to Full Professor there. In 2009 he took up an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship to move to Ulm University. His work covers a broad range of topics, including quantum information science, quantum effects in biological systems, quantum optics, and quantum technologies. His research work has led him to co-found NVision Imaging Technologies. Recent recognitions of his work include an ERC Synergy grant, the award of Research Building & Center for Quantum-BioSciences and his listing as a Highly Cited Researcher.