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Introduction
The principles of quantum mechanics—the study of the smallest units of matter, such as molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles—are being applied to an increasingly broad array of scientific areas. In biology, quantum concepts and tools can help improve the study and understanding of biological processes and systems.
The Quantum Concepts in Enhancing Sensing and Imaging Technologies: Applications for Biology workshop brought experts from multiple fields together to consider the potential impact of quantum technologies on the future of biological sensing and imaging. The workshop provided a forum to consider current and future imaging and sensing applications for quantum approaches in biology; examine the advantages, disadvantages, and technical needs of quantum strategies; and establish a common terminology spanning multiple areas of expertise. Participants explored broader impacts for quantum technologies in biology along with training, education, and workforce needs to further develop this burgeoning field. These objectives are closely tied to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s forthcoming decadal survey on Biological Physics/Physics of Living Systems.1
The workshop was organized by the National Academies at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science supports basic and applied research across a wide range of scientific disciplines and has established a Quantum Information Science effort to advance quantum science and applications.2 Todd Anderson of the Biological Systems Sciences division, which uses genomic science to identify promising renewable resources, provided an introduction explaining DOE’s hopes for the workshop. He described DOE’s focus on the nonclassical behavior of quantum concepts, such as superposition, entanglement, and squeezing, and the potential implications for communication, computing, simulation, and sensing and imaging. Understanding more about quantum concepts and their biological applications can broaden the spectrum of bioenergy research, especially synthetic biology, imaging and sensing, and environmental microbiome research. Anderson expressed his hope that the workshop, with its collaborative spirit, could uncover additional innovative ideas.
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1 See https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/biological-physicsphysics-of-livingsystems-a-decadal-survey.
The workshop organizing committee3 was chaired by Taekjip Ha from Johns Hopkins University. Ha offered an overview of the workshop’s goals and organization. The workshop was held virtually over 3 days and included a series of keynote speeches, themed panels, discussion periods, and breakout sessions. Day 1, with a theme of quantum in biology, examined quantum concepts that are important for observing biological processes. Day 2, focusing on quantum for biology, addressed ways to use quantum concepts to enhance technologies for biological imaging and sensing. Day 3, with a theme of biology for quantum, offered a wider discussion of how the frontiers of biological imaging and sensing could enable future study with quantum concepts.
This Proceedings of a Workshop was prepared by the rapporteurs as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop. The statements made are those of the rapporteurs or individual workshop participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all workshop participants; the organizing committee; or the National Academies.
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3 The organizing committee biographies can be found in Appendix C.