Table 1 Key physical phenomena discussed in this hypothesis paper

Charge hole:

Is a concept used to describe the movement of positively charged "absence" in a certain material. A hole can be thought of as a missing electron, or a vacancy in the valence band (or HOMO in a molecule) of a material, that behaves as a mobile positive charge carrier. This hole can move through the material as if it were a particle carrying a positive charge

Chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS):

Phenomenon in which the spin of an electron passing through a chiral molecule (a molecule that is not superimposable on its mirror image) is preferentially oriented in a certain direction. In other words, CISS refers to a dependence of the spin of an electron on the chirality of a molecule through which it passes. This effect has been observed in a variety of organic molecules, including amino acids, DNA, and proteins

Coherence/decoherence:

Quantum coherence is a property of quantum systems that refers to the ability of different quantum states to interfere with each other, resulting in a pattern of constructive and destructive interferences. In contrast, decoherence refers to the loss of coherence in a quantum system due to its interaction with its environment. As a quantum system interacts with its surroundings, the coherence of the system can be disrupted, causing the quantum system to behave more like a classical system

Coupled harmonic oscillators:

A harmonic oscillator is a system that exhibits simple harmonic motion, such as the motion of a mass on a spring. When two or more harmonic oscillators are coupled, meaning they interact with each other in some way, the resulting system is known as a harmonic chain. The interaction between oscillators can lead to the formation of collective excitations (known as phonons), energy transfer between oscillators, and, for quantum oscillators, the creation of entangled states

Exciton:

In physics, an exciton is a bound state of an electron and a positively charged "electron hole" that are attracted to each other by the Coulomb force. When an atom or molecule is illuminated by an external source, such as light, an electron can be excited to an energetically higher lying state. This creates an electron–hole pair, where the vacancy (hole) is the lower energy state. This pair of charges then interacts to form a so-called exciton

Proton tunneling:

Also known as “proton transfer,” is a quantum mechanical phenomenon where a proton (H +) moves through an energy barrier that it would not be able to overcome according to classical physics. In the case of proton tunneling, a proton can move through a barrier, such as a hydrogen bond, to form a new (covalent) bond with another atom or molecule. In DNA replication, proton tunneling has been proposed as a mechanism for ensuring that the correct nucleotide bases are paired together, helping to prevent mutations

Quantum delocalization/localization:

Quantum delocalization refers to the spread-out nature of a quantum particle's wave function over a larger region of space. This phenomenon can also be related to wave-like superposition. Quantum localization, on the other hand, refers to the confinement or localization of a quantum particle within a small region of space

Superexchange:

Transfer of electrons via quantum tunneling from a donor to an acceptor through an intermediate and energetically higher lying ‘bridge’. The concept of superexchange can be applied to biological systems, particularly in the context of electron transfer reactions in proteins and enzymes

Tautomer:

Is a type of isomer, a molecule with the same chemical formula as another molecule, with a different arrangement of atoms, specifically isomers that differ in the placement of a proton (H +) and the double bond within the molecule