We report what we believe is the first experimental limit placed on plant biomagnetism. Measurements with a sensitive atomic magnetometer were performed on the Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) inflorescence, known for its fast biochemical processes while blooming. We find that the magnetic field from these processes, projected along the Earth’s magnetic field, and measured at the surface of the plant, is ≲ 0.6 μG.
REFERENCES
1.
Y.
Safonov
, V.
Provotorov
, V.
Lub
, and L.
Yakimenkov
, Bull. Exp. Biol. Med.
64
, 1022
(1967
).2.
D.
Cohen
, IEEE Trans. Magn.
11
, 694
(1975
).3.
D.
Cohen
, Electroencephalogr. Clin. Neurophysiol.
56
, 38
(1983
).4.
D.
Cohen
, Science
175
, 664
(1972
).5.
G. G.
Matthews
, Cellular Physiology of Nerve and Muscle
, 4th ed. (Blackwell
, Malden, MA
, 2002
).6.
W. R.
Bison
and A.
Weis
, Appl. Phys. B
76
, 325
(2003
).7.
T.
Roberts
, G.
Schmidt
, M.
Egeth
, L.
Blaskey
, M.
Rey
, J.
Edgar
, and S.
Levy
, Int. J. Psychophysiology
68
, 149
(2008
).8.
J.
Clarke
and A.
Braginski
, The SQUID Handbook
(Wiley
, New York
, 2004
), Vol. I
.9.
J.
Clarke
and A.
Braginski
, The SQUID Handbook
(Wiley
, New York
, 2006
), Vol. II
.10.
D.
Budker
and M.
Romalis
, Nat. Phys.
3
, 227
(2007
).11.
V.
Acosta
, M. P.
Ledbetter
, S. M.
Rochester
, D.
Budker
, D. F. J.
Kimball
, D. C.
Hovde
, W.
Gawlik
, S.
Pustelny
, J.
Zachorowski
, and V. V.
Yashchuk
, Phys. Rev. A
73
, 53404
(2006
).12.
J. M.
Higbie
, E.
Corsini
, and D.
Budker
, Rev. Sci. Instrum.
77
, 113106
(2006
).13.
C.
Hovde
, B.
Patton
, E.
Corsini
, J.
Higbie
, and D.
Budker
, Proc. SPIE
7693
, 769313
(2010
).14.
H.
Dang
, M. V.
Maloof
, and M. V.
Romalis
, App. Phys. Lett.
97
, 151110
(2010
).15.
J.
Allred
, R.
Lyman
, T.
Kornack
, and M.
Romalis
, Phys. Rev. Lett.
89
(2002
).16.
I.
Kominis
, T.
Kornack
, J.
Allred
, and M.
Romalis
, Nature (London)
422
, 596
(2003
).17.
I. M.
Savukov
and M. V.
Romalis
, Phys. Rev. A
71
, 023405
(2005
).18.
D.
Budker
, W.
Gawlik
, D. F.
Kimball
, S. M.
Rochester
, V. V.
Yashchuk
, and A.
Weis
, Rev. Mod. Phys.
74
, 1153
(2002
).19.
V.
Shah
, S.
Knappe
, P. D. D.
Schwindt
, and J.
Kitching
, Nat. Photonics
1
, 649
(2007
).20.
R.
Seymour
, Sci. Am.
276
, 104
(1997
).21.
22.
23.
W.
Barthlott
, J.
Szarzynski
, P.
Vlek
, W.
Lobin
, and N.
Korotkova
, Plant Mol. Biol.
11
, 499
(2009
).24.
“Inflorescence Terminology,” http://waynesword.palomar.edu/terminf1.htm.
25.
R.
Seymour
, J. Exp. Bot.
52
, 1465
(2001
).26.
R.
Seymour
, Thermochim. Acta
193
, 91
(1991
).27.
D.
Schulze-Makuch
and L.
Irwin
, Life in the Universe, Expectations and Constraints
, 2nd ed. (Wiley
, New York
, 2008
).28.
“Estimated Value of Magnetic Declination,” http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomagmodels/Declination.jsp.
29.
30.
“Cesium Optically pumped magnetometers, Basic Theory of Operation,” ftp://geom.geometrics.com/pub/mag/Literature/M-TR91.pdf.
31.
“Geometrics G858 Manual,” ftp://geom.geometrics.com/pub/mag/Manuals/858Manual D.pdf.
32.
A.
Bloom
, Appl. Opt.
1
, 61
(1962
).33.
E.
Bell
and A.
Bloom
, Phys. Rev. Lett.
6
, 280
(1961
).© 2011 American Institute of Physics.
2011
American Institute of Physics
You do not currently have access to this content.