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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.07196 |
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| _version_ | 1866917321581264896 |
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| author | Zhou, Bin Li, Yangmei Zhang, Ziyi Huang, Yindong Xiang, Zuoxian Chang, Chao |
| author_facet | Zhou, Bin Li, Yangmei Zhang, Ziyi Huang, Yindong Xiang, Zuoxian Chang, Chao |
| contents | Classical molecular dynamics and electro-diffusion theories have achieved profound success in elucidating ion selectivity and gating mechanisms. However, reconciling strict selectivity with high flux permeation in Angstrom-scaled biological ion channels poses a universal challenge in nanoscale physics, as classical models consistently underestimate single-channel conductance. Using a non perturbative quantum transport framework, we calculate the ion permeation dynamics through the selectivity filter within a transfer matrix formalism. We demonstrate that quantum tunneling allows ions to bypass classical Arrhenius suppression, quantitatively recovering the experimental conductance of Na+ and K+ channels. Crucially, our findings reveal that the exploitation of quantum mechanics is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving macroscopic physiological efficiency. By reframing ion channels as mesoscopic quantum conductors, this work establishes a transformative paradigm in quantum biology and predicts distinct transport resonances in the terahertz regime. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_07196 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Quantum Tunneling Enables High-Flux Transport in Ion Channels Zhou, Bin Li, Yangmei Zhang, Ziyi Huang, Yindong Xiang, Zuoxian Chang, Chao Optics Biological Physics Classical molecular dynamics and electro-diffusion theories have achieved profound success in elucidating ion selectivity and gating mechanisms. However, reconciling strict selectivity with high flux permeation in Angstrom-scaled biological ion channels poses a universal challenge in nanoscale physics, as classical models consistently underestimate single-channel conductance. Using a non perturbative quantum transport framework, we calculate the ion permeation dynamics through the selectivity filter within a transfer matrix formalism. We demonstrate that quantum tunneling allows ions to bypass classical Arrhenius suppression, quantitatively recovering the experimental conductance of Na+ and K+ channels. Crucially, our findings reveal that the exploitation of quantum mechanics is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving macroscopic physiological efficiency. By reframing ion channels as mesoscopic quantum conductors, this work establishes a transformative paradigm in quantum biology and predicts distinct transport resonances in the terahertz regime. |
| title | Quantum Tunneling Enables High-Flux Transport in Ion Channels |
| topic | Optics Biological Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.07196 |