Related papers: Compression and stretching of a self-avoiding chai…
We derive scaling relations for the extension statistics and the confinement free energy for a semi-flexible polymer confined to a channel with a rectangular cross-section. Our motivation are recent numerical results [Gupta {\em et al.},…
A weakly charged flexible polyelectrolyte chain in a neutral spherical cavity is analyzed using self-consistent field theory (SCFT) within an explicit solvent model. Assuming the radial symmetry for the system, it is found that the…
We have studied the conformational and scaling behaviors of a flexible dendrimer immersed in athermal or good solvents. A self-consistent field theory combined with a pre-averaged excluded volume potential representing the two-body…
We study the effective electrostatic interactions between a pair of charged colloidal particles without salt ions while the system is confined in two dimensions. In particular we use a simplified model to elucidate the effects of rotational…
Because the constant extension ensemble of single chain molecule is not always equivalent with constant force ensemble, a model of double-stranded conformations, as in RNA molecules and $\beta$-sheets in proteins, with fixed extension…
Using Monte Carlo simulation, we analyse the behaviour of two-dimensional hard rods in four different types of geometric confinement: (i) a slit pore where the particles are confined between two parallel walls with homeotropic anchoring;…
An elastic membrane that is forced to reside in a container smaller than its natural size will deform and, upon further volume reduction, eventually crumple. The crumpled state is characterized by the localization of energy in a complex…
It has been claimed that quasistatic granular materials, as well as nanoscale materials, exhibit departures from elasticity even at small loadings. It is demonstrated, using 2D and 3D models with interparticle harmonic interactions, that…
Nanochannels provide means for detailed experiments on the effect of confinement on biomacromolecules, such as DNA. We here introduce a model for the complete unfolding of DNA from the circular to linear configuration. Two main ingredients…
A microscopic theory of the free energy barriers and folding routes for minimally frustrated proteins is presented, greatly expanding on the presentation of the variational approach outlined previously [J. J. Portman, S. Takada, P. G.…
We explore the structural properties of anomalous fluids confined in a nanopore using Molecular Dynamics simulations. The fluid is modeled by core-softened (CS) potentials that have a repulsive shoulder and an attractive well at a further…
Tension-compression asymmetry is a notable feature of plasticity in bcc single crystals. Recent experiments reveal striking differences in the plasticity of bcc nanopillars for tension and compression. Here we present results from molecular…
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…
We study a class of dilatonic deformations of asymptotically AdS_5 X S^5 geometry analytically and numerically. The spacetime is non-supersymmetric and suffers from a naked singularity. We propose that the causality bound may serve as a…
We consider the arbitrarily coupled field and self-force of a static massless scalar charge in cylindrical spacetimes with one or two asymptotic regions, with the only matter content concentrated in a thin-shell characterized by the trace…
Recent advances in single macromolecule experiments have sparked interest in the ensemble dependence of force-extension relations. The thermodynamic limit may not be attainable for such systems, that leads to inequivalence of the…
Amorphous solids, confined on the nano-scale, exhibit a wealth of novel phenomena yet to be explored. In particular, the response of such solids to a mechanical load is not well understood and, as has been demonstrated experimentally, it…
Recent measurements of the force versus extension curves in stretched single stranded DNA, under conditions where the hydrogen bonding between complementary bases is inhibited, provide a new handle for the study of self-avoiding effects in…
Monte Carlo simulations are used to study the conformational behavior of a semiflexible polymer confined to cylindrical and conical channels. The channels are sufficiently narrow that the conditions for the Odijk regime are marginally…
Microswimmers and active colloids often move in confined systems, including those involving interfaces. Such interfaces, especially at the microscale, may deform in response to the stresses of the flow created by the active particle. We…