Hydration-dependent dynamic crossover phenomenon in protein hydration water.

The characteristic relaxation time τ of protein hydration water exhibits a strong hydration level h dependence. The dynamic crossover is observed when h is higher than the monolayer hydration level hc=0.2-0.25 and becomes more visible as h increases. When h is lower than hc, τ only exhibits Arrhenius behavior in the measured temperature range. The activation energy of the Arrhenius behavior is insensitive to h, indicating a local-like motion. Moreover, the h dependence of the crossover temperature shows that the protein dynamic transition is not directly or solely induced by the dynamic crossover in the hydration water.