Ultra-weak photon emission of biological objects in UV-range: early researches of physical properties and up-to-date possibilities of their verification

Abstract

This report is mainly devoted to the early history of biophotonics. It overviews and analyzes the results on physical properties of ultra-weak photon emission of biological objects and chemical systems in UV-range (so called mitogenetic radiation), which were obtained in 1923-1948 years. A number of prominent physicists, biologists and chemists actively worked in this field such as D.Gabor, acad. G.M.Frank, W. Gerlach, R. Audubert and the pioneer of the mitogenetic radiation A.G. Gurwitsch. Schemes and methods of experiments used in positive and negative publications on the subject, reported intensity, spectra and time characteristics of mitogenetic radiation, validity of these results and arguments of their critiques are discussed. Intensity of this radiation measured with modified gas-discharge counters was 10-1000 photons/cm2 sec, spectral range was reported as 190-260 nm. Study of radiation with such parameters was a very challenging problem for that time, its properties and even existence of this radiation itself remains under a question in spite of the corroboration of the early results with photomultipliers. Possibilities of an unambiguous verification of the early experiments on UV-chemiluminescence by use of the novel photomultipliers with AlGaN photocathodes, which have highly selective sensitivity in UV-range and low dark currents, are discussed.
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Speaker

Elena V. Naumova
Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics SB RAS
Russia

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