Velocity convergence of free energy surfaces from single-molecule measurements using Jarzynski’s equality

Nolan C. Harris and Ching-Hwa Kiang
Phys. Rev. E 79, 041912 – Published 10 April 2009

Abstract

We studied the velocity dependence of mechanical unfolding of single protein molecules with the atomic force microscope. We showed that with enough realizations, the free energy surfaces reconstructed from Jarzynski’s equality converge with respect to pulling velocity, in good agreement with theory. Using the I27 domain of titin as an example, we estimated the required number of realizations for a given pulling velocity, and suggested the optimal range of velocities for single-molecule experiments. The results demonstrate that Jarzynski’s equality is a powerful and practical tool for reconstructing free energy landscapes.

    • Received 22 April 2008

    DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.79.041912

    ©2009 American Physical Society

    Authors & Affiliations

    Nolan C. Harris and Ching-Hwa Kiang*

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA

    • *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; chkiang@rice.edu

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    Issue

    Vol. 79, Iss. 4 — April 2009

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