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Thermodynamic uncertainty relation for biomolecular processes.

Andre C Barato1, Udo Seifert1

  • 1II. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Stuttgart, 70550 Stuttgart, Germany.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Biomolecular systems operate as Markov processes. Their steady-state fluctuations are fundamentally limited by the thermodynamic cost required to generate them, regardless of time.

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Area of Science:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Biophysics
  • Statistical Mechanics

Background:

  • Biomolecular systems, including molecular motors and enzymatic reactions, can be modeled as Markov processes.
  • Understanding the energetic costs associated with biological processes is crucial for deciphering their efficiency and limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a general relationship between thermodynamic cost and the dispersion of observables in steady-state biomolecular systems.
  • To demonstrate that the uncertainty in system output is fundamentally constrained by the energy expenditure.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Markov processes on networks representing biomolecular systems.
  • Derivation of theoretical constraints on the dispersion of observables in steady states.
  • Application of principles from statistical thermodynamics.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated a general constraint on the dispersion of observables in steady-state biomolecular systems.
  • Quantified the minimum thermodynamic cost (2k(B)T/ε²) required to achieve a specific uncertainty (ε).
  • Showed this cost is independent of the time taken to generate the output.

Conclusions:

  • The thermodynamic cost is an intrinsic lower bound for the precision of biomolecular processes.
  • Fluctuation-dissipation principles extend to the energetic costs of biological functions.
  • This finding has implications for the design and understanding of biological machines and synthetic systems.