Open quantum systems theory of ultraweak ultraviolet photon emissions: Revisiting Gurwitsch's onion experiment as a prototype for quantum biology

A century ago it was discovered that metabolic processes in living cells emit a spectrum of very low intensity radiation. This was based on observations that radiant energy from proliferating cells can amplify the rate of cell division in other nearby cellular life. Although metabolic radiation is now thoroughly documented in research on ultraweak photon emissions (UPE), the original finding that UPE can enhance mitogenesis remains controversial. This controversy is addressed by establishing a physical basis for phenomenological observations that biological UPE can amplify mitogenesis in living cells. Enhanced mitosis is rationalized as a resonance effect based on open quantum systems theory using Fano and Feshbach's methods. This application of quantum theory to biology has important consequences for understanding health, medicine, and principles of living matter.