A Polarization Hall Effect in Hydrated DNA

TL;DR

Hydrated DNA exhibits a magnetic-field-induced polarization transition with stable oscillations, revealing collective dipolar dynamics modulated by temperature, and serving as a biological platform for exploring transverse electromagnetic phenomena.

Contribution

This study uncovers a polarization Hall effect in hydrated DNA, demonstrating collective mode formation and transverse responses driven by magnetic fields and temperature in a biological soft matter system.

Findings

Reproducible magnetic-field-induced transition in hydrated DNA

Observation of phase-stable oscillations in transverse polarization

Temperature dependence indicating collective hydrogen-bond network dynamics

Abstract

Understanding how soft matter systems, including biological ones, can develop collective electromagnetic phenomena under external fields at ambient conditions remains a central challenge, as thermal fluctuations are generally expected to suppress long-range organization. Here, we report that hydrated DNA exhibits a reproducible magnetic-field-induced transition characterized by a sharp transverse-voltage threshold, followed by a regime of regular, phase-stable oscillations in the transverse polarization signal. These features emerge only beyond the threshold and display a pronounced temperature dependence, consistent with the formation of a collective mode within the hydrogen-bond network of the DNA-water interface. Motivated by recent studies of Hall-like responses carried by neutral excitations, including phonons, magnons, and excitons, we interpret the observed transverse signal in terms of coherent polarization dynamics of proton - proton-hole dipoles confined to a quasi-two-dimensional hydrated layer. Within this framework, the transverse response is attributed to a field-organized polarization mode; the measured transverse voltage arises from collective dipolar dynamics rather than steady carrier transport. These results identify hydrated DNA as a soft-matter system in which magnetic field and temperature jointly modulate collective polarization dynamics, providing a biologically relevant platform for exploring coherence and transverse phenomena in hydrogen-bonded media.