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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Biological systems abound with examples of molecular machines: assemblies of molecules that perform specific useful mechanical tasks. Inspired by the diversity and functionality of biological molecular machines, scientists have taken the first steps in synthesizing artificial molecular motors. These developments have spurred an interest in developing theoretical frameworks which describe these mesoscopic machines that operate in the presence of thermal noise. In this talk I will analyze a generic model of molecular machines known as stochastic pumps in which useful directed motion (or current) is produced by the variation of external parameters. The main result is an exact expression for the current in the presence of nonadiabatic pumping. This expression leads to a variety of interesting theoretical results including a surprising “no-pumping” theorem: a set of conditions that guarantee no excess or pumped current.
Host: Nikolai Sinitsyn