Quantum computers and blades of grass may have more in common than you might think. Physicists in the US have shown that electrons involved in photosynthesis reactions "sample" different energy-level routes in much the same way quantum-computer algorithms can -- at least in theory -- quickly search through unsorted databases. The researchers claim that the discovery could explain how photosynthesis can proceed at efficiencies unparalleled in man made solar cells (Nature 446 782). (Gregory Engel and colleagues at the University of California in Berkeley.)
... Some may have qualms over Engel's conclusions, however, because the experiment was performed at a temperature of just 77 K. The physicists chose this to exaggerate the behaviour of the electrons so that the experiment would be easier to demonstrate. But they insist that the energy transfer process would remain the same at more hospitable temperatures. "I'm not convinced it will," said Sension. "Things are more rigid at low temperatures, so there is less [chance] that it will lead to decoherence. But it remains to be seen."
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Photosynthesis and Quantum Computing
Re: Photosynthesis and Quantum Computing
