Workshop:Recent Advances in Quantum Biology

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

26 July 2023

Quantum mechanics is central to our understanding of both physics and chemistry, while in biology existing theories and models have largely treated biological systems as behaving according to the rules of classical physics (albeit made up of particles that obey the rules of quantum mechanics). However, in recent years, across a range of different biological phenomena, scientists have started to understand that such a simplification may be masking some of biology’s most remarkable abilities, recently leading to the rise of a new interdisciplinary research area known as quantum biology.

Recently the field of quantum biology has been advanced by experimental and theoretical efforts leading to fascinating discoveries suggesting that the hidden quantum effects may shape biological functions of living organisms, as epitomized by photosynthesis, enzyme calalysed reactions, and magnetic field effects on spin-dependent biochemical reactions.

One day workshop will address some recent advances in the interdisciplinary field of quantum biology such as microspectroscopic detection of magnetic field sensitive radical pair processes in biological systems, reactive oxygen production in electron transfer flavoprotein, and development of mathematical foundation based on quantum optimal control theory in Hilbert-Sobolev spaces, theoretically proved optimality conditions implementing tools of infinite-dimensional calculus, Fréchet differentiability, Pontryagin Maximum Principle to comprehend coherent spin dynamics of radical pairs. 

Organizer: Professor Ugur G. Abdulla

Plenary Speakers:

     Jonathan R. Woodward, University of Tokyo, Japan

     Carlos F. Martino, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, USA

     Ugur G. Abdulla, OIST, Japan

Schedule:

9:00 -  9:30 Jonathan Woodward, What is Quantum Biology and why does it matter?

9:30 -  9:45 Coffee break

9:45 - 10:30 Jonathan Woodward, Microscopic detection of magnetic field sensitive radical pair processes in biological systems

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 11:45 Carlos F. Martino, The Quantum Biology of reactive oxygen production in electron transfer flavoprotein

12:00 - 13:00 Lunch

13:00 - 14:00 Discussion

14:00 - 14:45 Ugur G. Abdulla Pontryagin Maximum Principle in optimal control of coherent spin dynamics of radical pairs in Quantum Biology I. Mathematical foundation and optimality conditions.

14:45 - 15:15 Coffee break

15:15 - 16:00 Pablo Jimenez, Jose Rodriques, Chenming Zhen, Pontryagin Maximum Principle in optimal control of coherent spin dynamics of radical pairs in Quantum Biology II. Computational Analysis

Join Zoom

https://oist.zoom.us/j/94451972961?pwd=aENxOGZLcmhZQWx3RTQ0TmtzUjBzZz09

Meeting ID: 944 5197 2961

Passcode: 065395