Physics – Condensed Matter – Soft Condensed Matter
Scientific paper
2007-04-19
Phys. Rev. E 76, 011804 (2007)
Physics
Condensed Matter
Soft Condensed Matter
15 pages without figures, 5 figures
Scientific paper
10.1103/PhysRevE.76.011804
We consider a long, semiflexible polymer, with persistence length $P$ and contour length $L$, fluctuating in a narrow cylindrical channel of diameter $D$. In the regime $D\ll P\ll L$ the free energy of confinement $\Delta F$ and the length of the channel $R_\parallel$ occupied by the polymer are given by Odijk's relations $\Delta F/R_\parallel=A_\circ k_BTP^{-1/3}D^{-2/3}$ and $R_\parallel=L[1-\alpha_\circ(D/P)^{2/3}]$, where $A_\circ$ and $\alpha_\circ$ are dimensionless amplitudes. Using a simulation algorithm inspired by PERM (Pruned Enriched Rosenbluth Method), which yields results for very long polymers, we determine $A_\circ$ and $\alpha_\circ$ and the analogous amplitudes for a channel with a rectangular cross section. For a semiflexible polymer confined to the surface of a cylinder, the corresponding amplitudes are derived with an exact analytic approach. The results are relevant for interpreting experiments on biopolymers in microchannels or microfluidic devices.
Burkhardt Theodore W.
Gompper Gerhard
Yang Yingzi
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