2003/09/23 by L. Polley, Polley, L.
Mathematics · Neuroscience · Physics and Astronomy · #Computer science #FOS: Physical sciences #Mathematics #Neural dynamics and brain function #Photoreceptor and optogenetics research #Process (computing) #Programming language #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #quant-ph #stochastic dynamics and bifurcation
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/0309166
13 pages, 3 figures; v2: reference added, some points elaborated; v3: internal reference added on p12
openalex publication_date 2003/09/23 · arxiv created 2005/02/15 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Tunnel amplitudes of molecular configurations (like neuronal channel pores) may be very sensitive to thermal vibrations of the barrier width (vibration-assisted tunneling) resulting in pseudo-random spikes of widely varying sizes. An observer who ``lives'' behind the barrier would experience as an ``event'' an accidental minimum of the barrier width, the timing being determined by the microstate of the neuron's heat bath. In two neurons, set to detect a ``left'' or ``right'' state of an object, firing amplitudes typically differ so much as to produce a quasi-selection of one option.