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State transitions and decoherence in the avian compass

DSpace at IIT Bombay

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Title State transitions and decoherence in the avian compass
 
Creator POONIA, VS
SAHA, D
GANGULY, S
 
Subject WEAK MAGNETIC-FIELDS
RADICAL-PAIR
SPIN
MECHANISM
BIRDS
MAGNETORECEPTION
DIAMOND
CRYPTOCHROME
ORIENTATION
COHERENCE
 
Description The radical pair model has been successful in explaining behavioral characteristics of the geomagnetic compass believed to underlie the navigation capability of certain avian species. In this study, the spin dynamics of the radical pair model and decoherence therein are interpreted from a microscopic state transition point of view. This helps to elucidate the interplay between the hyperfine and Zeeman interactions that enables the avian compass and clarify the distinctive effects of nuclear and environmental decoherence on it. Three regimes have been identified for the strength of the hyperfine interaction with respect to that of the geomagnetic Zeeman. It is found that the compass is likely to function in the large hyperfine interaction regime. Using a quantum information theoretic quantifier of coherence, we find that nuclear decoherence induces new structure in the spin dynamics for intermediate hyperfine interaction strength. On the other hand, environmental decoherence-modeled by two different noise models-seems to disrupt the compass action.
 
Publisher AMER PHYSICAL SOC
 
Date 2016-01-15T08:44:13Z
2016-01-15T08:44:13Z
2015
 
Type Article
 
Identifier PHYSICAL REVIEW E, 91(5)
1539-3755
1550-2376
http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.91.052709
http://dspace.library.iitb.ac.in/jspui/handle/100/18194
 
Language en