The Laws of Sensitivity for Small Nonequilibrium Systems

Explore the laws of sensitivity for small systems in this Santa Fe Institute lecture. Delve into the challenge of understanding chemical mechanisms responsible for molecular sensitivity in living organisms. Discover how constraints on sensitivity relate to system structure and fluctuations at equilibrium, and learn about newly uncovered laws constraining sensitivity in small, nonequilibrium systems. Examine the extension and unification of prior biophysics results on biochemical switches, sensors, and molecular discrimination. Investigate a nonequilibrium binding mechanism with remarkable sensitivity and its implications for gene regulation models. Gain insights into topics such as hemoglobin binding, chemotaxis in E. coli, and the flagellar motor. Understand the Markov chain tree theorem and its role in analyzing nonequilibrium steady states. Explore various types of perturbations and their effects on system sensitivity, including nested hysteresis and driving forces in edge perturbations.