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Updated: Feb 28, 2026
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Visualizing Actin and Microtubule Coupling Dynamics In Vitro by Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence TIRF Microscopy
Published on: July 20, 2022
4.1K
Quantum Information Flow in Microtubule Tryptophan Networks
Lea Gassab1, Onur Pusuluk2, Travis J A Craddock3
1Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 27, 2026
Summary
Networks of aromatic amino acids in microtubules may carry optical information. This study models excitation dynamics, revealing how initial states and structure influence information flow and nonclassical correlations.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Quantum Information Science
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Microtubules, cytoskeletal polymers, contain aromatic amino acid residues.
- These residues, particularly tryptophan, form networks potentially involved in optical information processing.
- Existing models often use non-Hermitian Hamiltonians for ultraviolet excitation dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend excitation dynamics modeling using a Lindblad master equation.
- To investigate how correlations are generated, routed, and dissipated in microtubule chromophore networks.
- To analyze the impact of initial preparation, site geometry, and disorder on information flow.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a Lindblad master equation incorporating site geometries and dipole orientations.
- Simulated ultraviolet excitation dynamics in chromophore networks.
- Quantified quantum information using L1 norm of coherence, correlated coherence, and logarithmic negativity.
- Compared localized, delocalized, and eigenmode initial states.
Main Results:
- Information flow direction and persistence strongly depend on initial preparation.
- Superradiant components rapidly export correlations; subradiant components retain them.
- Tubulin unit embedding and lattice scaling enable site-selective routing and strengthen transport.
- Disorder suppresses long-range transport and reduces correlation transfer.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a Lindbladian framework for understanding information flow in cytoskeletal networks.
- Identified structural and dynamical factors crucial for preserving nonclassical correlations in microtubules.
- Highlights the potential role of microtubule networks in quantum information processing within cells.
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