Biophoton Emission Transmissions

Physical Basis

Biophotons are emitted when excited molecular species (particularly singlet oxygen ¹O₂ and triplet carbonyls) relax from excited electronic states to ground states, releasing photons:

Biophoton emission processes:

1. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS):
   ³O₂ → ¹O₂ (singlet oxygen)
   ¹O₂ → ³O₂ + hν (λ = 634 nm, 1270 nm)

2. Lipid peroxidation:
   R• + ³O₂ → ROO• → excited carbonyl* → hν
   (λ = 380–460 nm)

3. Enzymatic reactions:
   Oxidase enzymes (luciferase-like):
   Substrate + O₂ → Product* → Product + hν

4. Water radical recombination:
   H₂O₂ + OH• → H₂O + hν (λ = 250–400 nm)

Wavelength range: 200–800 nm
  UV: 200–400 nm (from DNA/RNA oxidation)
  Visible: 400–700 nm (from lipid peroxidation)
  Near-IR: 700–800 nm (from singlet oxygen)

Intensity: 10–1000 photons/(s·cm²)
  = 10⁻¹⁷ to 10⁻¹⁵ W/cm²
  = 10–1000× below human eye threshold

Correlated photon emission:
  Squeezed state theory predicts photon bunching
  in biophoton streams (delayed photon correlation
  at τ ~ 10–100 μs), suggesting coherent emission
  rather than purely random processes.

Measurement

Biophoton emission is measured using:

• Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs): Single-photon counting PMTs (e.g., Hamamatsu R928) in a light-tight chamber. Dark count: ~10–100 counts/s. Sensitivity: single photon detection. Integration time: minutes to hours for steady-state UPE.
• EMCCD cameras: Electron-multiplying CCD cameras for spatially resolved biophoton imaging. Can detect UPE from individual leaves, fruits, or cell cultures. Integration time: minutes.
• Single-photon counting modules: Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) in Geiger mode. Higher quantum efficiency (~70%) than PMTs (~25%). Better for low-count-rate measurements.
• Preparation: Samples are placed in a light-tight, electromagnetic-shielded chamber. Temperature controlled to ±0.1°C. Background: ~10 counts/s from residual luminescence and detector dark count.

Biological Sources

• Plants: Strongest UPE emitters. Leaf UPE increases under stress (UV, drought, pathogen attack). Fruits emit during ripening. The green leaf glow at 400–500 nm is attributed to chlorophyll and carotenoid oxidation.
• Fungi:Some fungi emit visible biophotons (e.g., Panellus stipticus, the "bitter oyster" — true bioluminescence at ~530 nm). Most fungi emit UPE from oxidative metabolism.
• Animals: Mouse liver emits UPE at ~400–600 nm. Rat brain UPE correlates with neural activity. Human skin emits UPE at ~400–700 nm, with circadian variation (peak at ~10:00 AM).
• Bacteria: E. coli emits UPE that increases with population density — a form of quorum sensing via photons rather than chemical autoinducers.
• Human cells: White blood cells emit UPE during respiratory burst (oxidative killing of pathogens). Cancer cells emit higher UPE than normal cells, potentially due to elevated ROS production.

Coherent Biophotons

Fritz-Albert Popp (International Institute of Biophysics, Neuss, Germany) proposed that biophoton emission is not random but coherent — stored in biological fields (DNA, microtubules) and released in a regulated manner. Evidence for coherence:

• Photon bunching: Delayed photon correlation measurements show non-random (bunched) emission statistics at delays τ ~ 10–100 μs, suggesting a coherent source.
• Ultra-low-level laser emission: Biological tissues show laser-like emission at specific wavelengths, suggesting stimulated emission from organized chromophore arrays.
• DNA as a coherent source:DNA absorbs UV light at 260 nm and re-emits it at 340 nm with high efficiency. Popp proposed DNA acts as a "photon store" — absorbing metabolic energy and re-emitting it as coherent biophotons.
• Squeezed states: The photon statistics of biophoton emission are consistent with squeezed vacuum states, a quantum optical state with reduced noise below the standard quantum limit.

The coherent biophoton hypothesis remains controversial. Critics argue that the correlation measurements can be explained by classical metabolic oscillations, and that the "coherence" interpretation overreaches the data.

Applications

• Agricultural diagnostics: UPE measurement as a non-invasive tool for detecting plant stress before visible symptoms appear. Used in precision agriculture.
• Food quality: UPE from fruits correlates with ripeness, freshness, and oxidation state. Potential non-destructive quality assessment.
• Medical diagnostics: Elevated skin UPE correlates with oxidative stress in diabetes, inflammation, and cancer. Non-invasive monitoring potential.
• Circadian biology: Human skin UPE shows a circadian rhythm peaking during daytime and dropping at night, independent of light exposure.