Experimental evidence for long-distance electrodynamic intermolecular forces

TL;DR

This study provides the first experimental evidence of long-distance resonant electrodynamic forces between biomolecules, potentially influencing molecular interactions in biological systems, using fluorescence correlation and terahertz spectroscopy.

Contribution

It demonstrates experimentally the activation of resonant electrodynamic intermolecular forces, a phenomenon predicted by theory but not previously observed.

Findings

Resonant electrodynamic forces act up to 1000 Angstroms.

Two independent experiments confirmed the forces.

These forces may influence molecular encounters in cells.

Abstract

Both classical and quantum electrodynamics predict the existence of dipole-dipole long-range electrodynamic intermolecular forces; however, these have never been hitherto experimentally observed. The discovery of completely new and unanticipated forces acting between biomolecules could have considerable impact on our understanding of the dynamics and functioning of the molecular machines at work in living organisms. Here, using two independent experiments, on the basis of different physical effects detected by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and terahertz spectroscopy, respectively, we demonstrate experimentally the activation of resonant electrodynamic intermolecular forces. This is an unprecedented experimental proof of principle of a physical phenomenon that, having been observed for biomacromolecules and with long-range action (up to 1000 Angstroms), could be of importance for biology. In addition to thermal fluctuations that drive molecular motion randomly, these resonant (and thus selective) electrodynamic forces may contribute to molecular encounters in the crowded cellular space.