Free energy from ionic fluctuations

Indeed, all ingredients for a complete thermodynamic characterization of the system are available in molecular dynamics simulations atomic resolution, protein flexibility, membrane fluctuations, explicit solvent, and ionic motion. Because the free energy profile controls ion conduction, along with nonequilibrium parameters like the diffusion coefficient, one can expect to fully understand the permeation (and selectivity) processes from it. Furthermore, because one can explore the energetics of molecular configurations in response to external stimuli, free energy calculations can in principle supply information about gating mechanisms or, at least, could be used to confirm hypotheses derived from indirect experimental observations. 

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