Michael Famiano, Connections Between Nuclear Physics and the Origin of Life
The discovery of bio-molecules in meteorites with an excess of one chiral state has
created one of the biggest questions in science today. That is, what is the origin of biomolecular
homochirality? Studies of this question are highly interdisciplinary, and while
several phenomenological models exist, we examine the relationship between fundamental
symmetries at the particle level and the macroscopic formation of bio-molecules. A model
has been developed which couples fundamental interactions with the formation of molecular
chirality. In this magneto-chiral model atomic nuclei bound in amino acids interact via the weak
interaction in stellar environments. Nuclei are coupled to the molecular geometry (chirality)
via the shielding tensor, the same interaction responsible for NMR identification. Associated
with this is the fact the isotopic abundances vary from solar system values. Interactions with
leptons can selectively destroy one chiral state over the other while changing isotopic values.
Possible sites are proposed in which this model may exist. It may be possible to test the
formation of chiral bio-molecules in space in an electron beam experiment at a facility much
like the one at several worldwide facilities. Such an experiment will be discussed along with
several problems and questions associated with it.