Meditation is a specific exercise like yoga that has physiological responses (well, neurological in meditations case).

I've read western mindfulness literature, western zen-buddhist literature and some pieces from tibetan buddhists. All the advice on specific meditation techniques I've read there were sound.

The tibetan buddhist books usually flirt in some places with their traditions which can be a bit off-putting but it seldom affects the meditation itself and is something like "if you practice this 50 years and learn to levitate pleace don't brag about it".

So, zen buddhist or mindfullness books are usually fully fully compatible with a materialistic world view (like mine).

Well odds are there exists something relevant, but it probably falls under "quantum mysticism" or other such quackery (e.g. transcendental meditation has actual scientists backing it but you gotta pay 1000$ for the privilege and it's really a cult). Science and mysticism/philosophy don't really mix.

When you're doing meditation, especially no-mind meditation, physical processes are irrelevant, indeed the entire world is irrelevant. Looking for explanations or theories or systems in the scientific way is, on one hand, hard/impossible due to subjectivity and on the other, goes against the entire practice since you're inventing even more dualities and thought constructs when you should be tearing everything down!