The extraordinary catalytic power of enzymes presents a fundamental challenge to the classical, equilibrium-based theories of Michaelis-Menten, Marcus, Warshel, and Koshland. While these frame- works provide an indispensable description of macroscopic, statistical behavior, they struggle to ac- count for the speed and precision of a single catalytic event, which occurs on a non-equilibrium, femtosecond timescale. To reconcile these scales, this paper introduces the Gated Quantum Res- onator (GQR) model, a new framework describing enzymes not as passive scaffolds, but as active, far-from-equilibrium quantum engines that function as evolved Bayesian computers. We posit that the enzyme is a non-equilibrium information processor that leverages allosteric gating to create a low-noise resonant cavity, where energy, in the form of a Davydov soliton, is trapped and discharged in a Quantum Lightning event. This microscopic, non-equilibrium model aims to provide a physical basis for the emergent parameters of the classical frameworks. We first present the complete multi- scale theory, then provide detailed case studies of FAD and the Oxygen-Evolving Complex (OEC), propose a clear roadmap for the model’s validation, and show how this view can be scaled up through the formal analogy between molecular kinetics and analog electronic circuits.
J. R. Sutton (Wed,) studied this question.