Computed Three-Dimensional Atomic Force Microscopy Images of Biopolymers Using the Jarzynski Equality

Three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM) has resolved three-dimensional distributions of solvent molecules at solid-liquid interfaces at the subnanometer scale. This method is now being extended to the imaging of biopolymer assemblies such as chromosomes or proteins in cells, with the expectation of being able to resolve their three-dimensional structures. Here, we have developed a computational method to simulate 3D-AFM images of biopolymers by using the Jarzynski equality. It is found that some parts of the fiber structure of biopolymers are indeed resolved in the 3D-AFM image. The dependency of 3D-AFM images on the vertical scanning velocity is investigated, and optimum scanning velocities are found. It is also clarified that forces in nonequilibrium processes are measured in 3D-AFM measurements when the dynamics of polymers are slower than the scanning of the probe.