Electromagnetic Phenomena in Biologically Inspired Systems: From Quantum Optics to the Origins of Life

Abstract

Electromagnetism is the study of light and charged particles. It is responsible for our most beloved technological innovations, and it is the principle way through which we interact with the world. In this dissertation, I present a diverse collection of results concerning electromagnetic phenomena across the broad disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy. In the first part of the thesis, I discuss cooperative light-matter interactions in biologically inspired quantum systems. Focusing on the influence of different symmetries, I show how the transport and emission of light are modified under fundamental transformations of space and time. Using this approach, I explore the roles of superradiance and subradiance in model light-harvesting complexes and investigate the relationship between chirality and photon polarization. Through these analyses, I develop a theory of chiral superradiance in which the polarization of the emitted light is determined by the handedness of the chiral geometry. These findings may have implications for future quantum technologies, or manifest within natural (bio)molecular systems. In the second part of the thesis, I discuss the consequences of charged particle irradiation---first with an eye towards human space exploration and then within the contexts of astrobiology and the origins of life. I first present a quantification of the nanometer-scale physics processes associated with galactic cosmic ray irradiation of the brain under realistic spaceflight conditions. I then turn towards the outer solar system and perform a compositional analysis of the cryovulcanic plume emanating from Saturn's ocean moon Enceladus. I report the detection of the prebiotic precursor hydrogen cyanide, along with other organic molecules that may indicate a habitable ocean. Building on these results, I demonstrate a potentially universal synthetic pathway for RNA and amino acid precursors under ocean world conditions that begins with the charged particle radiolysis of hydrogen cyanide and liquid water. I conclude the thesis with a synergism of the two parts, offering my perspective on the role of cooperative light-matter interactions during the origins of life.