Fluctuating Filaments I: Statistical Mechanics of Helices

Details Fluctuating Filaments I: Statistical Mechanics of Helices Fluctuating Filaments I: Statistical Mechanics of Helices

2000-05-19

arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0005317v1

Physics

Condensed Matter

Soft Condensed Matter

5 figures

Scientific paper

10.1103/PhysRevE.62.7135

We examine the effects of thermal fluctuations on thin elastic filaments with non-circular cross-section and arbitrary spontaneous curvature and torsion. Analytical expressions for orientational correlation functions and for the persistence length of helices are derived, and it is found that this length varies non-monotonically with the strength of thermal fluctuations. In the weak fluctuation regime, the local helical structure is preserved and the statistical properties are dominated by long wavelength bending and torsion modes. As the amplitude of fluctuations is increased, the helix ``melts'' and all memory of intrinsic helical structure is lost. Spontaneous twist of the cross--section leads to resonant dependence of the persistence length on the twist rate.

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