DNA Zeno, independent research
Independent research study exploring whether the quantum Zeno effect could freeze proton tunneling in DNA base pairs (a mechanism behind mutation-inducing tautomers) to protect DNA-based data storage.
The physical mechanism
The proton in a hydrogen bond (for instance between an adenine and a thymine) has a nonzero probability of crossing the energy barrier separating its canonical position from its tautomeric one, through plain quantum tunneling. This is the switch, a source of mutations during replication, that the study seeks to control.
The algorithm studied
Zeno-effect control would apply, at regular intervals much shorter than the tunneling effect's characteristic time, a projective measurement operator forcing the system to stay in its initial canonical state rather than letting it evolve freely into a superposition. The study formalizes this algorithm mathematically, something the existing literature never spells out.
Theorem and conclusion
By comparing the structural consequences (measurement-photon energy far exceeding bond energy) and thermodynamic consequences (Landauer dissipation) of this active control, the study establishes a no-go theorem: Zeno control of storage DNA is physically and energetically impossible with any conceivable technology. A roadmap of more realistic alternatives (cryogenics, advanced classical error-correcting codes, XNA substrate engineering, machine-learning prediction) is proposed instead.
Full report available below in both French and English.
Citing this work
Published in open access on Zenodo, in matching French and English versions:
- Ruben Gariazzo, The Quantum Zeno Effect as an Error-Correction Algorithm for DNA Data Storage, Zenodo, 2026. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22308602
- Ruben Gariazzo, L'Effet Zénon Quantique comme algorithme de correction d'erreurs dans le stockage de données sur ADN, Zenodo, 2026. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22308582
Documents
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Full study, French version (PDF)
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Full study, English version (PDF)