title: Thermodynamics and kinetics of a Brownian motor.
abstract: Nonequilibrium fluctuations, whether generated externally or by a chemical reaction far from equilibrium, can bias the Brownian motion of a particle in an anisotropic medium without thermal gradients, a net force such as gravity, or a macroscopic electric field. Fluctuation-driven transport is one mechanism by which chemical energy can directly drive the motion of particles and macromolecules and may find application in a wide variety of fields, including particle separation and the design of molecular motors and pumps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, MC6035, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. dastumia@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Astumian
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D016880:Anisotropy; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D004058:Diffusion; D016623:Ion Pumps / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008433:Mathematics; D009038:Motion; D010316:Particle Size; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D016623:Ion Pumps; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase