arXiv subjects

Johann Summhammer

Publications and source records attributed to Johann Summhammer.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Mental intervention in quantum scattering of ions without violating conservation laws

There have been several proposals in the past that mind might influence matter by exploiting the randomness of quantum events. Here, calculations are presented how mental selection of quantum mechanical scattering directions of ions in the axon hillock of neuronal cells could influence diffusion and initiate an action potential. Only a few thousand ions would need to be affected. No conservation laws are violated, but a momentary and very small local decrease of temperature should occur, consistent with a quantum mechanically possible but extremely improbable evolution. An estimate of the concurrent violation of the second law of thermodynamics is presented. Some thoughts are given to how this hypothesized mental intervention could be tested.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2022

Comment on "Energy Non-Conservation in Quantum Mechanics"

In the posting arXiv:2101.11052v2 an experimental protocol involving two spins is proposed, which should show violation of energy conservation in a quantum experiment. In the present comment an unjustified mathematical approximation leading to that conclusion is pointed out. A detailed analysis will restore energy conservation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Morphology and high frequency bio-electric fields

We investigate possible shapes of the electric field, which oscillating dipoles in a certain region of biological tissue can produce in a neighboring region, or outside the tissue boundaries. We find that a wide range of shapes, including the typical morphology of limbs and appendages, can be generated as a zone of extremely low field amplitudes embedded in a zone of much larger field amplitudes. Neutral molecules with a resonance close to the frequency of the oscillating field may be attracted to this zone or be repelled from it, while the driving effect on molecules with an electric charge is only extremely weak. The forces would be sufficient for the controlled deposition of molecules during growth or regeneration. They could also serve as a method of information transfer.

q-bio.BM↗

arXiv2020

Forces from Lipids and Ionic Diffusion: Probing lateral membrane effects by an optimized filter region of voltage dependent K+ channels

We investigate the possible influence of poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the lipid bilayer of cell membranes on the conduction properties of the selectivity filter of voltage gated ion channels. Any change of this conductivity can have major consequences on electrical signalling in brain and other cells. At the microscopic level a change in the concentration of PUFAs can cause a change in the pressure distribution within the lipid bilayer, and this in turn can lead to a change in the length of the selectivity filter. In order to estimate the consequences this might entail for the ion channel's conductivity we performed high resolution molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the passage of K+ ions and H2O molecules through the selectivity filter of the KcsA potassium ion channel. Our results show that a change in length of the selectivity filter of as little as 4%, independent of whether the filter is made longer or shorter, will reduce the K+ ion current by around 50%. And further squeezing or stretching by about 10% can effectively stop the current. For instructive purposes and to facilitate further interpretation of the results, we give details of the force models employed in the MD simulations. We finally discuss the present results in the context of possible effects of membrane lipid compositions on Kv ion permeation.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2016

Telekinetic Entanglement

A numerical thought experiment with two momentum correlated particles is presented, in which particle A passes through a series of zig-zagging slits and particle B moves unobstructedly. It is shown that, if particle A's meandering path is monitored by successive non-detections, particle B will loosely adhere to a similar trajectory without violating momentum conservation. The discussion relates this apparent telekinetic influence, which is a standard quantum mechanical result, to supposedly real telekinesis and to Stapp's hypothesis on intention in quantum physics.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2014

Photon exchange and entanglement formation during the transmission through a rectangular quantum barrier

When a quantum particle traverses a rectangular potential created by a quantum field both photon exchange and entanglement between particle and field take place. We present analytic results for the transition amplitudes of any possible photon exchange processes for an incoming plane wave and initial Fock, thermal and coherent field states. We show that for coherent field states the entanglement correlates the particle's position to the photon number in the field instead of the particle's energy as usual. Besides entanglement formation, remarkable differences to the classical field treatment also appear with respect to the symmetry between photon emission and absorption, resonance effects and if the field initially occupies the vacuum state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

A Quantum-mechanical description of ion motion within the confining potentials of voltage gated ion channels

Voltage gated channel proteins cooperate in the transmission of membrane potentials between nerve cells. With the recent progress in atomic-scaled biological chemistry it has now become established that these channel proteins provide highly correlated atomic environments that may maintain electronic coherences even at warm temperatures. Here we demonstrate solutions of the Schrödinger equation that represent the interaction of a single potassium ion within the surrounding carbonyl dipoles in the Berneche-Roux model of the bacterial \textit{KcsA} model channel. We show that, depending on the surrounding carbonyl derived potentials, alkali ions can become highly delocalized in the filter region of proteins at warm temperatures. We provide estimations about the temporal evolution of the kinetic energy of ions depending on their interaction with other ions, their location within the oxygen cage of the proteins filter region and depending on different oscillation frequencies of the surrounding carbonyl groups. Our results provide the first evidence that quantum mechanical properties are needed to explain a fundamental biological property such as ion-selectivity in trans-membrane ion-currents and the effect on gating kinetics and shaping of classical conductances in electrically excitable cells.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2010

Interferometry with Two Pairs of Spin Correlated Photons

We propose a new experiment employing two independent sources of spin correlated photon pairs. Two photons from different unpolarized sources each pass through a polarizer to a detector. Although their trajectories never mix or cross they exhibit 4th-order-interference-like correlations when the other two photons interfere on a beam splitter even when the latter two do not pass any polarizers at all. A wave packet calculation shows that the experiment permits a very discriminatory test of hidden variable theories.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Quantum entanglement in the voltage dependent sodium channel can reproduce the salient features of neuronal action potential initiation

We investigate the effects of a quantum entanglement regime within an ion conducting molecule (ion channel) of the neuronal plasma membrane on the onset dynamics of propagating nerve pulses (action potentials). In particular, we model the onset parameters of the sodium current in the Hodgkin Huxley equation as three similar but independent probabilistic mechanisms which become quantum entangled. The underlying physics is general and can involve entanglement between various degrees of freedom underlaying ion transition states or 'gating states' during conduction, e.g. Na$^+$ ions in different channel locations, or different 'affinity' states of ions with atoms lining the sub-regions of the channel protein ('filter-states'). We find that the 'quantum corrected' Hodgkin Huxley equation incorporating entangled systems states can reproduce action potential pulses with the critical onset dynamics observed recently in neocortical neurons in vivo by Naundorf et al. [Nature {\bf 440}, 1060 (20 April 2006)]. Interestingly, the suggested entanglement term can also slow down action potential initiation.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2007

Quantum Theory as Efficient Representation of Probabilistic Information

Quantum experiments yield random data. We show that the most efficient way to store this empirical information by a finite number of bits is by means of the vector of square roots of observed relative frequencies. This vector has the unique property that its dispersion becomes invariant of the underlying probabilities, and therefore invariant of the physical parameters. This also extends to the complex square roots, and it remains true under a unitary transformation. This reveals quantum theory as a theory for making predictions which are as accurate as the input information, without any statistical loss. Our analysis also suggests that from the point of view of information a slightly more accurate theory than quantum theory should be possible.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Quantum Cooperation of Two Insects

The physical concept of quantum entanglement is brought to the biological domain. We simulate the cooperation of two insects by hypothesizing that they share a large number of quantum entangled spin-1/2 particles. Each of them makes measurements on these particles to decide whether to execute certain actions. In the first example, two ants must push a pebble, which may be too heavy for one ant. In the second example, two distant butterflies must find each other. In both examples the individuals make odour-guided random choices of possible directions, followed by a quantum decision whether to push/fly or to wait. With quantum entanglement the two ants can push the pebble up to twice as far as independent ants, and the two butterflies may need as little as half of the flight path of independent butterflies to find each other.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2001

Dialogue on Classical and Quantum between mathematician and experimenter

This dialogue took place at Växjö, 19 November 2001. The main aim of our meeting in Växjö was to clarify our viewpoints on foundations of quantum mechanics. The most attractive in our discussion was the extreme difference in our quantum experiences. On one side, pure mathematician (specializing in foundations of probability theory), Andrei Khrennikov; on the other side, pure experimenter (specializing in neutron and electron interferometry), Johann Summhammer. On one hand, an attempt to test mathematical models for larger and larger domains of physical reality. On the other hand, an attempt to create this reality from experimental information - roughly speaking from clicks of detectors.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2001

Coloring the rational quantum sphere and the Kochen-Specker theorem

We review and extend recent findings of Godsil and Zaks, who published a constructive coloring of the rational unit sphere with the property that for any orthogonal tripod formed by rays extending from the origin of the points of the sphere, exactly one ray is red, white and black. They also showed that any consistent coloring of the real sphere requires an additional color. We discuss some of the consequences for the Kochen-Specker theorem.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2001

Structure of Probabilistic Information and Quantum Laws

In quantum experiments the acquisition and representation of basic experimental information is governed by the multinomial probability distribution. There exist unique random variables, whose standard deviation becomes asymptotically invariant of physical conditions. Representing all information by means of such random variables gives the quantum mechanical probability amplitude and a real alternative. For predictions, the linear evolution law (Schrodinger or Dirac equation) turns out to be the only way to extend the invariance property of the standard deviation to the predicted quantities. This indicates that quantum theory originates in the structure of gaining pure, probabilistic information, without any mechanical underpinning.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2000

Invariants of Elementary Observations

As physics searches for invariants in observations, this paper looks for invariants of probabilistic observation without assuming physical structure. Structure emerges from the basic assumption of science that new information shall lead to more accurate knowledge of the invariants. This leads to statistically unique random variables for expressing observed information: Complex probability amplitudes. Predictions are also just random variables computed from observed data, and must become more accurate with more observations as input. This singles out the quantum mechanical superposition principle. The external conditions of a probabilistic experiment can themselves be monitored at the most detailed level, resulting in observation of coicidence probabilities. The invariants of any multi-coincidence experiment are the same as those of a one-event experiment with the same number of possible outcomes. An observable probability turns out to be controllable by two independent experimental conditions, naturally parametrized as a direction in a 3-dimensional space. In summary, the probabilistic paradigm itself defines a unique method of forming concepts and making predictions. The method appears irrefutable within probability, because, whenever a prediction turns out wrong the existence of an as yet unmonitored condition is postulated, and a formal way to incoroporate it is shown. The Hilbert space formalism of quantum theory seems to be isomorphic to this method.

quant-ph↗

arXiv1999

Maximum predictive power and the superposition principle

Recently, there has been a discussion on the origin of the quantum probability rules (Deutsch quant-ph/9906015, Polley quant-ph/9906124, Barnum et al. quant-ph/9907024, Finkelstein quant-ph/9907004). This contribution, which is a slightly reformulated version of a paper published in Int.J.Theor.Phys. 33, 171 (1994), points out the follwoing: To an experimenter the world is a persistent stream of discrete data. All that is certain is that with each observation he/she knows more than before, simply because he/she can now answer the question "Which of the possible outcomes have you just registered?", while this was not possible before the observation. One can ask whether this relentless increase of information entails a specific structure. In particular, how must different observations be related in order to ensure that predictions become ever more accurate, the more past observations serve as input? This leads to the quantum rule for adding the complex square roots of probabilities, and not to adding the probabilities themselves, as classical probability would have it.

quant-ph↗

arXiv1997

Experiment on Interaction-Free Measurement in Neutron Interferometry

A neutron interferometric test of interaction-free detection of the presence of an absorbing object in one arm of a neutron interferometer has been performed. Despite deviations from the ideal performance characteristics of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer it could be shown that information is obtained without interaction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv1997

Factoring and Fourier Transformation with a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

The scheme of Clauser and Dowling (Phys. Rev. A 53, 4587 (1996)) for factoring $N$ by means of an N-slit interference experiment is translated into an experiment with a single Mach-Zehnder interferometer. With dispersive phase shifters the ratio of the coherence length to wavelength limits the numbers that can be factored. A conservative estimate permits $N \approx 10^7$. It is furthermore shown, that sine and cosine Fourier coefficients of a real periodic function can be obtained with such an interferometer.

quant-ph↗