Magnetic Noise Enabled Biocompass

The discovery of magnetic protein provides a new understanding of a biocompass at the molecular level. However, the mechanism by which magnetic protein enables a biocompass is still under debate, mainly because of the absence of permanent magnetism in the magnetic protein at room temperature. Here,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical review letters Vol. 124; no. 12; p. 128101
Main Authors Xiao, Da-Wu, Hu, Wen-Hui, Cai, Yunfeng, Zhao, Nan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 27.03.2020
Subjects
Animals
Biophysics
Birds
Iron-Sulfur Proteins - chemistry
Iron-Sulfur Proteins - physiology
Magnetic Fields
Models, Theoretical
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Summary:The discovery of magnetic protein provides a new understanding of a biocompass at the molecular level. However, the mechanism by which magnetic protein enables a biocompass is still under debate, mainly because of the absence of permanent magnetism in the magnetic protein at room temperature. Here, based on a widely accepted radical pair model of a biocompass, we propose a microscopic mechanism that allows the biocompass to operate without a finite magnetization of the magnetic protein in a biological environment. With the structure of the magnetic protein, we show that the magnetic fluctuation, rather than the permanent magnetism, of the magnetic protein can enable geomagnetic field sensing. An analysis of the quantum dynamics of our microscopic model reveals the necessary conditions for optimal sensitivity. Our work clarifies the mechanism by which magnetic protein enables a biocompass.
ISSN:1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.128101