Quantum attomicroscopy: imaging quantum chemistry in action

Abstract

How quantum electron and nuclei motions affect biomolecular chemical reactions remains a central challengeable question at the interface of quantum chemistry and biology. Ultrafast charge migration in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has long been hypothesized to play a critical role in photochemistry, genome stability, and long-range biomolecular signaling, however, direct real-time observation of these electronic processes has remained elusive. Here, we present a theoretical investigation and propose the concept of future experimental measurements of laser-driven charge dynamics in the canonical DNA nucleobase pairs thymine_adenine and cytosine_guanine. Attosecond-resolved simulations employing high-level ab initio methods reveal base-dependent ionization mechanisms, directional charge migration pathways, and electronic coherences that govern sub-femtosecond redistribution of electron density across hydrogen-bonded nucleobase interfaces. Accordingly, we propose the concept of a quantum attosecond scanning electron microscope, termed the quantum attomicroscope (Q-attomicroscope), a capable of imaging photoinduced quantum chemistry reactions in attosecond temporal resolution and sub-nanometer spatial precision. As a proof of principle, we propose to image the charge migrations dynamics in DNA which we studied theoretically. Together, our preceptive bridges theory, instrumentation, and control, outlining a pathway toward laser mediated manipulation of DNA structure with implications for repair processes, chemical reactivity, and future personalized medicine.