Strings and Things

  VQE Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE)-style model to optimize the energy landscape of the FeMo cofactor system. ⚛️ What We'll Do We'll simulate the FeMoco cluster as a quantum Hamiltonian and use a variational quantum circuit to minimize the ground state energy , similar to how: VQE finds the lowest-energy electron configuration of a molecule.  Simplified Model of FeMoC for VQE While the full FeMoco has a complex multielectron Hamiltonian, we’ll simulate a toy model capturing: 3 sites (qubits) representing key iron or molybdenum redox centers , A Hamiltonian H with coupling terms: H = Z 0 Z 1 + Z 1 Z 2 + X 0 + X 1 + X 2​ This models: Redox coupling between centers ( Z Z terms), Electron tunneling/exchange ( X terms). 🛠️ Steps to Build the VQE Model                Define the Hamiltonian (using Pauli operators). Build a parameterized quantum circuit (ansatz) . Use a classical optimizer to va...

  How the FeMo Cofactor of Nitrogenase Breaks the Triple Bond in N₂ Breaking the triple bond in dinitrogen (N≡N) is one of the toughest chemical reactions in nature, requiring large activation energy due to its strength (~945 kJ/mol). Yet, nitrogenase , powered by its FeMo-cofactor (FeMoco) , performs this feat under ambient conditions . 🔬 Overview of FeMo Cofactor (FeMoco) The FeMoco is the active site of molybdenum-dependent nitrogenase, and it consists of: [Mo-7Fe-9S-C-homocitrate] cluster One central interstitial atom (carbon) suspected to play a stabilizing electronic role It acts as the redox center where electrons accumulate and transfer to N₂ , step by step, ultimately breaking its triple bond. 🧩 Mechanism: How FeMoC Breaks N≡N 1. Substrate Binding N₂ binds at or near the Mo or Fe6 site on the FeMoco cluster. Hydrogen bonding and conformational changes help stabilize the binding. 2. Electron Accumulation The nitrogenase complex sequentially...

 Simulating the Birth of the Universe 1️⃣ Spacetime as Emergent From Jacobson’s derivation to AdS/CFT, we see that geometry itself is a manifestation of entanglement patterns . The “fabric” of spacetime behaves like a quantum error-correcting code — entanglement glues together the bulk. 2️⃣ Black Holes as Perfect Information Processors Hawking radiation and the Page curve show that information is never lost , it’s scrambled. The holographic principle says all the information inside a volume can be encoded on its boundary — an informational screen. 3️⃣ ER=EPR Einstein-Rosen bridges (wormholes) = EPR pairs (entanglement). A wormhole is a channel for entangled qubits — bridging geometry and quantum info. 4️⃣ Quantum Mechanics at its Core The no-cloning theorem, teleportation, mutual information — all these show how unitary evolution protects information . It’s not the particles or fields that are “most real,” but the relations and correlations . ...