Related papers: Molecular elasticity and the geometric phase
We present a numerical solution of the Worm-Like Chain (WLC) model for semi-flexible polymers. We display graphs for the end-to-end distance distribution and the force-extension relation expected from the model. We predict the expected…
DNA bending on length scales shorter than a persistence length plays an integral role in the translation of genetic information from DNA to cellular function. Quantitative experimental studies of these biological systems have led to a…
We show that the mechanical properties of a worm-like-chain (WLC) polymer, of contour length $L$ and persistence length $\l$ such that $t=L/\l\sim{\cal O}(1)$, depend both on the ensemble and the constraint on end-orientations. In the…
Mechanical properties of nucleic acids play an important role in many biological processes which often involve physical deformations of these molecules. At sufficiently long length scales (say above $\sim 20-30$ base pairs) the mechanics of…
The elastic properties of semiflexible polymers are of great importance in biology. There are experiments on biopolymers like double stranded DNA, which twist and stretch single molecules to probe their elastic properties. It is known that…
The extensive application of surfactants motivates comprehensive and predictive theoretical studies that improve our understanding of the behaviour of these complex systems. In this study, an expression for the elastic free-energy density…
We provide a comprehensive overview of the current theoretical understanding of the dynamic structure factor of stiff polymers in semidilute solution based on the wormlike chain (WLC) model. We extend previous work by computing exact…
The time-dependent transverse response of stiff polymers, represented as weakly-bending wormlike chains (WLCs), is well-understood on the linear level, where transverse degrees of freedom evolve independently from the longitudinal ones. We…
We develop an analytical method for studying the properties of a non-interacting Wormlike Chain (WLC) in confined geometries. The mean field-like theory replaces the rigid constraints of confinement with average constraints, thus allowing…
We present an analysis for the ring closure probability of semiflexible polymers within the pure bend Worm Like Chain (WLC) model. The ring closure probability predicted from our analysis can be tested against fluorescent actin cyclization…
Single-molecule experiments in which force is applied to DNA or RNA molecules have enabled important discoveries of nucleic acid properties and nucleic acid-enzyme interactions. These experiments rely on a model of the polymer…
We propose a physical model for the nonlinear inelastic mechanics of sticky biopolymer networks with potential applications to inelastic cell mechanics. It consists in a minimal extension of the glassy wormlike chain (GWLC) model, which has…
We present a study of the bend angle distribution of semiflexible polymers of short and intermediate lengths within the wormlike chain model. This enables us to calculate the elastic response of a stiff molecule to a bending moment. Our…
We provide a unified theory for the high force elasticity of biopolymers solely in terms of the persistence length, $\xi_p$, and the monomer spacing, $a$. When the force $f>\fh \sim k_BT\xi_p/a^2$ the biopolymers behave as Freely Jointed…
We present an exact solution of the discrete wormlike chain (DWLC) model describing a single semiflexible polymer under arbitrary external force. Through exact closure relations between pair angular correlations and single-site angular…
We study theoretically the entropic elasticity of a semi-flexible polymer, such as DNA, confined to two dimensions. Using the worm-like-chain model we obtain an exact analytical expression for the partition function of the polymer pulled at…
We present a theoretical treatment of DNA stretching and twisting experiments, in which we discuss global topological subtleties of self avoiding ribbons and provide an underlying justification for the worm like rod chain (WLRC) model…
We present a simplified theory for semiflexible flagella under the action of a traveling-wave perturbation that emulates the organized active forces generated by molecular motors, capable of inducing beating patterns to the filament. By…
Systems under external confinement and constraints often show interesting properties. In this thesis, we study some systems under external confinement. We begin by finding out the probability distribution of end-to-end separation of a Worm…
We propose approximations for force-extension dependencies for the freely jointed chain (FJC) and worm-like chain (WLC) models as well as for extension-force dependence for the WLC model. Proposed expressions show less than 1% relative…