Slow energy relaxation of macromolecules and nano-clusters in solution

Abstract

Many systems in the realm of nanophysics from both the living and inorganic world display slow relaxation kinetics of energy fluctuations. In this paper we propose a general explanation for such phenomenon, based on the effects of interactions with the solvent. Within a simple harmonic model of the system fluctuations, we demonstrate that the inhomogeneity of coupling to the solvent of the bulk and surface atoms suffices to generate a complex spectrum of decay rates. We show for Myoglobin and for a metal nano-cluster that the result is a complex, non-exponential relaxation dynamics.