A precise measure of avian magnetoreception based on quantum metrology

TL;DR

This paper introduces quantum Fisher information as a precise measure of avian magnetoreception sensitivity, linking quantum metrology with biological navigation and providing new insights into the quantum basis of bird compass mechanisms.

Contribution

It proposes using quantum Fisher information to quantify avian magnetoreception sensitivity, offering a novel, more precise approach compared to traditional phenomenological methods.

Findings

QFI aligns with experimental data

QFI determines measurement scheme feasibility

New perspective on quantum biology

Abstract

The radical pair (RP) mechanism, which describes the quantum dynamics of a spatially separated electron pair, is considered as one of the principal models of avian magnetoreception. Different from the conventional phenomenological approach where the sensitivity of avian magnetoreception is characterized by the singlet yield $\Phi_{S}$, we introduce the quantum Fisher information (QFI), which represents the maximum information about the magnetic field's direction extracted from the RP state, to give a precise measure of sensitivity of avian compass essentially. The consistency between our results and experimental observations suggests that QFI plays a decisive role in avian magnetoreception. Besides, within the framework of quantum metrology, we can judge the feasibility of any possible measurement scheme for avian magnetoreception, and shed light on an intrinsic relevance between the singlet yield and a concrete measurement scheme of our approach. The present work allows us to understand many things about avian magnetoreception from a fully new perspective of quantum metrology, and provide a new route to establish a direct connection between quantum information and many other biological functions.