Self-replication of a quantum artificial organism driven by single-photon pulses

Artificial organisms are computer programs that self-replicate, mutate, compete and evolve. How do these lifelike information-processing behaviours could arise in diverse far-from-equilibrium physical systems remains an open question. Here, I devise a toy model where the onset of self-replication of a quantum artificial organism (a chain of lambda systems) is owing to single-photon pulses added to a zero-temperature environment. The model results in a replication probability that is proportional to the absorbed work from the photon, in agreement with the theory of dissipative adaptation. Unexpectedly, spontaneous mutations are unavoidable in this model, due to rare but finite absorption of off-resonant photons. These results hint at self-replication as a possible link between dissipative adaptation and open-ended evolution.