Testing Landscape Theory for Biomolecular Processes with Single Molecule Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Although Kramers' theory for diffusive barrier crossing on a 1D free energy profile plays a central role in landscape theory for complex biomolecular processes, it has not yet been rigorously tested by experiment. Here we test this 1D diffusion scenario with single molecule fluorescence measurements of DNA hairpin folding. We find an upper bound of 2.5 mu s for the average transition path time, consistent with the predictions by theory with parameters determined from optical tweezer measurements.