2005/01/04 by José L. Mateos, Jose L. Mateos · 29 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Artificial intelligence #Biology #Bistability #Brownian motor #Classical mechanics #Computer science #Control theory (sociology) #Coupling (piping) #Diffusion and Search Dynamics #Engineering #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Kinesin #Materials science #Mechanical engineering #Molecular motor #Motor protein #Nanotechnology #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Ratchet #Statistical physics #cond-mat.stat-mech #stochastic dynamics and bifurcation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.physa.2004.12.009
published in Physica A Statistical Mechanics and its Applications 351(1), 79-87 (Elsevier BV) · 10 pages, 5 figures
openalex publication_date 2005/01/04 · arxiv created 2005/07/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We analyze a model for a walker moving on a ratchet potential. This model is motivated by the properties of transport of motor proteins, like kinesin and myosin. The walker consists of two feet represented as two particles coupled nonlinearly through a bistable potential. In contrast to linear coupling, the bistable potential admits a richer dynamics where the ordering of the particles can alternate during the walking. The transitions between the two stable states on the bistable potential correspond to a walking with alternating particles. We distinguish between two main walking styles: alternating and no alternating, resembling the hand-over-hand and the inchworm walking in motor proteins, respectively. When the equilibrium distance between the two particles divided by the periodicity of the ratchet is an integer, we obtain a maximum for the current, indicating optimal transport.