The Quantum Zeno Effect as an Error-Correction Algorithm for DNA Data Storage

The use of synthetic DNA for high-density data archiving faces major challenges related to molecularalterations. Recent studies have modeled the impact of proton tunneling in base pairs, generating transienttautomers1 responsible for spontaneous mutations. This article explores the theoretical hypothesisof applying the quantum Zeno effect to freeze the wave function of these protons and prevent mutationsat the source. Through a multidisciplinary approach combining information thermodynamics, quantumoptics, and structural chemistry, we demonstrate that the limitations of our current technologies makethis method unfeasible as it stands. We establish a theorem of energetic non-viability for Zeno control ofstorage DNA, quantifying the structural limits (localization energies exceeding the phosphodiester bondrupture threshold) and thermodynamic limits (thermal dissipation governed by Landauer’s principle).The article concludes with a roadmap ranking alternative technological and algorithmic proposals suitedto the capabilities of contemporary engineering.