{
  "id": "oai:papers.qnfo.org:thermodynamic-feasibility-of-tubulin-conformational-switching-as-a-heat-free-par",
  "slug": "thermodynamic-feasibility-of-tubulin-conformational-switching-as-a-heat-free-par",
  "title": "Thermodynamic Feasibility of Tubulin Conformational Switching as a Heat‑Free Parallel Computation Substrate",
  "authors": [
    "Rowan Brad Quni-Gudzinas"
  ],
  "abstract": "Cellular information processing is limited by the heat generated during molecular state changes, which constrains the scalability of intracellular computing architectures. The hypothesis that tubulin dimers in microtubules can act as binary switches with near‑Landauer‑limited energy consumption has never been quantified. We construct an analytical energy budget that combines (i) the Landauer limit at physiological temperature, (ii) a mechanical spring model of the conformational displacement, (iii) dipole‑field interaction energies derived from published tubulin dipole moments, and (iv) screened dipole‑dipole coupling between neighboring dimers. The analysis yields a Landauer floor of 2.97×10^-21 J, a mechanical switching energy ranging from 5.0×10^-21 J to 5.0×10^-19 J (corresponding to $1.2$–117 k_BT), a dipole‑mediated state‑energy difference of 4.99 k_BT (monomer) and 13.56 k_BT (dimer), and a screened nearest‑neighbor coupling of 1.73 k_BT. Scaling to a full microtubule lattice (13 protofilaments, 8nm dimer repeat) gives a dimers‑per‑cubic‑meter density of 5.0×10²4 mathrmm^-3 and a projected volumetric power load of 2.5×10⁷–2.5×10⁹ mathrmW m^-3 at 1kHz switching. These results show that tubulin‑based parallel computation is not intrinsically heat‑free but can approach the Landauer limit only under a narrow, low‑stiffness regime, informing the design of synthetic bio‑computing platforms and guiding experimental validation.",
  "abstract_markdown": "Cellular information processing is limited by the heat generated during molecular state changes, which constrains the scalability of intracellular computing architectures. The hypothesis that tubulin dimers in microtubules can act as binary switches with near‑Landauer‑limited energy consumption has never been quantified. We construct an analytical energy budget that combines (i) the Landauer limit at physiological temperature, (ii) a mechanical spring model of the conformational displacement, (iii) dipole‑field interaction energies derived from published tubulin dipole moments, and (iv) screened dipole‑dipole coupling between neighboring dimers. The analysis yields a Landauer floor of $2.97\\times10^{-21}\\,\\mathrm{J}$, a mechanical switching energy ranging from $5.0\\times10^{-21}\\,\\mathrm{J}$ to $5.0\\times10^{-19}\\,\\mathrm{J}$ (corresponding to $1.2$–$117\\,k_{B}T$), a dipole‑mediated state‑energy difference of $4.99\\,k_{B}T$ (monomer) and $13.56\\,k_{B}T$ (dimer), and a screened nearest‑neighbor coupling of $1.73\\,k_{B}T$. Scaling to a full microtubule lattice (13 protofilaments, $8\\,$nm dimer repeat) gives a dimers‑per‑cubic‑meter density of $5.0\\times10^{24}\\,\\mathrm{m^{-3}}$ and a projected volumetric power load of $2.5\\times10^{7}$–$2.5\\times10^{9}\\,\\mathrm{W\\,m^{-3}}$ at $1\\,$kHz switching. These results show that tubulin‑based parallel computation is not intrinsically heat‑free but can approach the Landauer limit only under a narrow, low‑stiffness regime, informing the design of synthetic bio‑computing platforms and guiding experimental validation.",
  "date": "2026-10-20",
  "first_published": "2026-10-20",
  "last_revised": "2026-10-20T00:00:00Z",
  "modified": "2026-10-20T00:00:00Z",
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  "url": "https://papers.qnfo.org/papers/thermodynamic-feasibility-of-tubulin-conformational-switching-as-a-heat-free-par",
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  "version_url": "https://papers.qnfo.org/papers/thermodynamic-feasibility-of-tubulin-conformational-switching-as-a-heat-free-par/v/1.0.0",
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    "creators": [
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        "name": "Rowan Brad Quni-Gudzinas",
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    "titles": [
      {
        "title": "Thermodynamic Feasibility of Tubulin Conformational Switching as a Heat‑Free Parallel Computation Substrate"
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    "publicationYear": "2026",
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        "description": "Cellular information processing is limited by the heat generated during molecular state changes, which constrains the scalability of intracellular computing architectures. The hypothesis that tubulin dimers in microtubules can act as binary switches with near‑Landauer‑limited energy consumption has never been quantified. We construct an analytical energy budget that combines (i) the Landauer limit at physiological temperature, (ii) a mechanical spring model of the conformational displacement, (iii) dipole‑field interaction energies derived from published tubulin dipole moments, and (iv) screened dipole‑dipole coupling between neighboring dimers. The analysis yields a Landauer floor of 2.97×10^-21 J, a mechanical switching energy ranging from 5.0×10^-21 J to 5.0×10^-19 J (corresponding to $1.2$–117 k_BT), a dipole‑mediated state‑energy difference of 4.99 k_BT (monomer) and 13.56 k_BT (dimer), and a screened nearest‑neighbor coupling of 1.73 k_BT. Scaling to a full microtubule lattice (13 protofilaments, 8nm dimer repeat) gives a dimers‑per‑cubic‑meter density of 5.0×10²4 mathrmm^-3 and a projected volumetric power load of 2.5×10⁷–2.5×10⁹ mathrmW m^-3 at 1kHz switching. These results show that tubulin‑based parallel computation is not intrinsically heat‑free but can approach the Landauer limit only under a narrow, low‑stiffness regime, informing the design of synthetic bio‑computing platforms and guiding experimental validation.",
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