Molecular machines operating on nanoscale: from classical to quantum

Abstract

The main physical features and operating principles of isothermal nanomachines in microworld are reviewed, which are common for both classical and quantum machines. Especial attention is paid to the dual and constructive role of dissipation and thermal fluctuations, fluctuation-dissipation theorem, heat losses and free energy transduction, thermodynamic efficiency, and thermodynamic efficiency at maximum power. Several basic models are considered and discussed to highlight generic physical features. Our exposition allows to spot some common fallacies which continue to plague the literature, in particular, erroneous beliefs that one should minimize friction and lower the temperature to arrive at a high performance of Brownian machines, and that thermodynamic efficiency at maximum power cannot exceed one-half. The emerging topic of anomalous molecular motors operating sub-diffusively but highly efficiently in viscoelastic environment of living cells is also discussed.

References in corpus (7)

• Anomalous transport in the crowded world of biological cells
• Efficiency of molecular motors at maximum power
• Anomalous features of diffusion in corrugated potentials with spatial correlations: faster than normal, and other surprises
• Efficiency of molecular machines with continuous phase space
• Markovian embedding of fractional superdiffusion
• Anomalous transport of subdiffusing cargos by single kinesin motors: the role of mechanochemical coupling and anharmonicity of tether
• Modeling magnetosensitive ion channels in viscoelastic environment of living cells

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Theory of nonequilibrium free energy transduction by molecular machines
• Temperature-abnormal diffusivity in underdamped space-periodic systems driven by external time-periodic force
• Gaussian white noise as a resource for microscopic engines
• Quantum thermochemical engines
• Fractional electron transfer kinetics and a quantum breaking of ergodicity
• Investigation of multiple-dynein transport of melanosomes by non-invasive force measurement using fluctuation unit $\chi$