DNA Strand Going Up a Nanoscale Staircase (IMAGE)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

DNA Strand Going Up a Nanoscale Staircase

Caption

Illustration shows two DNA molecules in a nanofluidic staircase. The staircase confines the DNA molecules, creating a free energy that is higher at the top and lower at the bottom. The DNA molecules mostly descend the staircase to reduce their energy and relax, but sometimes ascend the staircase as microscopic fluctuations increase their energy. Bottom: Microscope images show two DNA molecules in the staircase. Jagged white lines show their trajectories. Letters mark different images of each molecule taken at one-minute intervals. Vertical white lines show the positions of step edges. The molecule at the top right mostly descends the staircase. The molecule at the bottom left ascends two steps before descending. Relaxation Fluctuation Spectroscopy is a new method of analyzing such fluctuating trajectories to measure the free energy of microscopic systems.

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NIST

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