ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC)

Mid-infrared spectroscopy reveals molecular signatures of proteins and lipids, but conventional detection needs specialised equipment. Quantum correlations between differently coloured photons, including entanglement, offer another approach: a mid-infrared photon interacts with the sample while interference enables its information to be measured with visible or near-infrared light. The speakers explain the underlying principle and the progression from quantum spectroscopy to imaging with undetected photons. They discuss their work at the University of Technology Sydney to turn quantum mid-infrared imaging into compact, practical instrumentation for biological research.

Clarice D. Aiello examines evidence that quantum effects influence biological function, including magnetic sensing used in animal navigation, cellular metabolism and enzyme activity, and the capture of light energy in photosynthesis. The talk reviews proposed biophysical mechanisms and their implications for human, plant and environmental biology, while considering the difficulty of connecting observations from nanometre scales to whole organisms. A central question is whether quantum mechanics can be established or ruled out as the explanation for physiologically relevant effects, and whether those effects can be controlled for useful applications. Potential directions include biomimetic electromagnetic probes, quantum-computing architectures that operate at room temperature, improved solar-energy devices and new therapies. Progress will require work across disciplines and scales, with theory and experiment developed together.