T. Schmiedl and U. Seifert 2008 EPL 83 30005 doi:10.1209/0295-5075/83/30005
T. Schmiedl and U. Seifert
Show affiliationsMolecular motors transduce chemical energy obtained from hydrolizing ATP into mechanical work exerted against an external force. We calculate their efficiency at maximum power output for two simple generic models and show that the qualitative behaviour depends crucially on the position of the transition state or, equivalently, on the load distribution factor. Specifically, we find a transition state near the initial state (sometimes characterized as a "power stroke") to be most favorable with respect to both high power output and high efficiency at maximum power. In this regime, driving the motor further out of equilibrium by applying higher chemical potential differences can even, counterintuitively, increase the efficiency.
87.16.-b Subcellular structure and processes
05.40.-a Fluctuation phenomena, random processes, noise, and Brownian motion
Issue 3 (August 2008)
Received 15 April 2008, accepted for publication 6 June 2008
Published 17 July 2008
T. Schmiedl and U. Seifert 2008 EPL 83 30005
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