Thorneywork, Alice L.Gladrow, J.Qing, YujiaRico Pastó, MarcRitort Farran, FèlixBayley, HaganKolomeisky, Anatoly B.Keyser, U.F.2021-03-302021-03-302020-04-012375-2548https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175889All natural phenomena are governed by energy landscapes. However, the direct measurement of this fundamen-tal quantity remains challenging, particularly in complex systems involving intermediate states. Here, we uncover key details of the energy landscapes that underpin a range of experimental systems through quantitative analysis of first-passage time distributions. By combined study of colloidal dynamics in confinement, transport through a biological pore, and the folding kinetics of DNA hairpins, we demonstrate conclusively how a short-time, power-law regime of the first-passage time distribution reflects the number of intermediate states associated with each of these processes, despite their differing length scales, time scales, and interactions. We thereby establish a powerful method for investigating the underlying mechanisms of complex molecular processes.6 p.application/pdfengcc-by-nc (c) Thorneywork, Alice L. et al., 2020http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/esMicrofluídicaCol·loidesCinètica químicaMicrofluidicsColloidsChemical kineticsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article7096762021-03-30info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess32494675