Fig. 3: Model validation using FRET correlation functions.

a FRET efficiency histogram (blue) of a simulation using a 2-state model (schematic) with interconversion rates k = 5 ms⁻¹. Black line is the average of 10 recolored data sets based on a fit of the data with a 2-state Hidden-Markov model. The gray shaded band indicates the mean ± SD of the 10 realizations. The fitted rates are 5.1 ms⁻¹ for the forward and backward reaction. b FRET correlation function (top) of the original data (blue) and the recolored data (black) and the corresponding residuals of the fit (bottom). c FRET efficiency histogram (red) of a simulation using a 4-state model (schematic) with the rates k = 5 ms⁻¹. Black line and gray shaded area as in (a). The fitted rates with the 2-state model are 2.1 ms⁻¹ for the forward and backward reaction. d FRET correlation function (top) of the original data (red) and the recolored data (black) and the corresponding residuals of the fit (bottom). The black dashed line is the analytically calculated FRET correlation function of the non-Markov model in (c).