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Soo Hyeon Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Soo Hyeon Kim.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Diffusive molecules share the 1/3 shot noise suppression of quantum conductors

Electrical noise measurement, especially shot noise, which arises from the discreteness of charge, is an indispensable tool in quantum transport for probing the nature of charge carriers beyond simple conductance measurements. Diffusive conductors share a universal shot noise reduction of 1/3, a result obtained independently from quantum scattering theory, semi-classical kinetics, or by classical exclusion processes8. Until now, however, experimental tests of this universality have been limited to cryogenic conditions, leaving its origin incompletely understood. Here we show that ferrocene redox cycling in a microfluidic gap is a room temperature realization of this universality. We derive the full counting statistics of diffusing single-electron molecular shuttles and verify the predicted current noise experimentally, showing that the universal 1/3 shot noise suppression is recovered in the diffusion-limited regime. Our result identifies diffusion and sequential charge transfer as sufficient ingredients for this universal noise reduction, rather than quantum coherence, fermionic statistics or cryogenic conditions. We anticipate that this study will establish electrochemical microfluidics as a room-temperature platform for mesoscopic counting statistics and bring noise-based probes to molecular transport and reaction kinetics. Furthermore, this liquid-based quantum-inspired study will provide a novel insight on the yet to be understood links between quantum and biology.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Mechanical response of a simple DNA nanostar hydrogel: symptoms of disorder and glassy emergence of solidity

DNA self-assembly is a well-understood nanotechnology to obtain extremely ordered structures from the nanometer to up to the hundred of microns scale. By contrast, DNA hydrogels rely on the disordered assembly of DNA building blocks to reach macroscopic volumes. However, in order to hold the promise of DNA bulk materials, the sequence designer needs a systematic understanding of how macroscopic properties emerge from disorder. Here, we show a method to study systematically the mechanical response of a simple DNA nanostar hydrogel. This method mobilises bulk rheology, dynamic light scattering microrheology, mechanical modeling, as well as thermodynamic calculation and DNA sequence alteration. At low temperatures, we demonstrate a systematic deviation from Maxwell behaviour that is symptomatic of disordered materials. At temperatures much higher than the percolation of the DNA network, we characterise a surprising solid behaviour that we attribute to a glass transition. Our results show the importance of disorder in DNA materials. Furthermore, the method we showcase in this article can be widely applied to more complex DNA materials.

cond-mat.soft↗

Synchronized DNA sources for unconditionally secure cryptography

Secure communication is the cornerstone of modern infrastructures, yet achieving unconditional security -resistant to any computational attack- remains a fundamental challenge. The One-Time Pad (OTP), proven by Shannon to offer perfect secrecy, requires a shared random key as long as the message, used only once. However, distributing large keys over long distances has been impractical due to the lack of secure and scalable sharing options. Here, we introduce a DNA-based cryptographic primitive that leverages random pools of synthetic DNA to install a synchronized entropy source between distant parties. Our approach uses duplicated DNA molecules -comprising random index-payload pairs- as a shared secret. These molecules are locally sequenced and digitized to generate a common binary mask for OTP encryption, achieving unconditional security without relying on computational assumptions. We experimentally demonstrate this protocol between Tokyo and Paris, using in-house sequencing, generating a shared secret mask of $\sim$ 400 Mb with a residual error rate to achieve the usual overall decryption failure rate of $2^{-128}$. The min-entropy of the binary mask meets the most recent National Institute of Standards and Technology requirements (SP 800-90B), and is comparable to that of approved cryptographic random number generators. Critically, our system can resist two types of adversarial interference through molecular copy-number statistics, providing an additional layer of security reminiscent of Quantum Key Distribution, but without distance limitations. This work establishes DNA as a scalable entropy source for long-distance OTP, enabling high-throughput and secure communications in sensitive contexts. By bridging molecular biology and cryptography, DNA-based key distribution opens a promising new route toward unconditional security in global communication networks.

cs.CR↗

QBIOL: A quantum bioelectrochemical software based on point stochastic processes

Bioelectrochemistry is crucial for understanding biological functions and driving applications in synthetic biology, healthcare, and catalysis. However, current simulation methods fail to capture both the stochastic nature of molecular motion and electron transfer across the relevant picosecond-to-minute timescales. We present QBIOL, a web-accessible software that integrates molecular dynamics, applied mathematics, GPU programming, and quantum charge transport to address this challenge. QBIOL enables quantitative stochastic electron transfer simulations and has the potential to reproduce numerically any (bio) electrochemical experiments. We illustrate this potential by comparing our simulations with experimental data on the current generated by electrode-attached redox-labeled DNA, or by nanoconfined redox species, in response to a variety of electrical excitation waveforms, configurations of interest in biosensing and catalysis. The adaptable architecture of QBIOL extends to the development of devices for quantum and molecular technologies, positioning our software as a powerful tool for enabling new research in this rapidly evolving field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗