A Biologically Inspired Ratchet Model of Two Coupled Brownian Motors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a biologically inspired model of coupled Brownian motors, simulating molecular motor behavior with elastic coupling and flashing ratchet potentials, revealing enhanced current and stability effects.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel ratchet model of coupled Brownian motors inspired by molecular motors, incorporating elastic coupling and anti-correlated potentials, with simulation-based analysis.

Findings

Coupling enhances steady-state current.

Noise induces stability in the system.

Phase-locking occurs in the deterministic regime.

Abstract

A ratchet model for coupled Brownian motors, inspired by the motion of individual two-headed molecular motors on cytoskeletal filaments, is proposed. Such motors are modeled as two elastically coupled Brownian particles, each of which moves in a flashing ratchet potential. The ratchet potentials felt by the individual particles are anti-correlated, modeling the successive binding and unbinding of the two motor heads to the filament. We obtain, via Langevin simulations, steady-state currents as functions of noise strength, the equilibrium separation of the particles and the rate of switching between potential states. We observe an enhanced current due to coupling, noise induced stability and phase-locked behaviour in the deterministic regime. A qualitative understanding of these features is provided.