Related papers: Under-knotted and over-knotted polymers: compact s…
This work presents a unified framework that combines global approximations with locally built models to handle challenging nonconvex and nonsmooth composite optimization problems, including cases involving extended real-valued functions. We…
We construct a micromechanical version of an early model for topologically constrained polymers -- a 2D chain amongst point-like uncrossable obstacles -- which allows us to explicitly elucidate the role of topological forces beyond…
Tangles of string typically become knotted, from macroscopic twine down to long-chain macromolecules such as DNA. Here we demonstrate that knotting also occurs in quantum wavefunctions, where the tangled filaments are vortices (nodal…
The interplay of topological constraints, excluded volume interactions, persistence length and dynamical entanglement length in solutions and melts of linear chains and ring polymers is investigated by means of kinetic Monte Carlo…
We study knots in $\mathbb{S}^3$ obtained by the intersection of a minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^4$ with a small 3-sphere centered at a branch point. We construct examples of new minimal knots. In particular we show the existence of…
We study the entanglement complexity of a system consisting of two simple-closed curves (self-avoiding polygons) that span a lattice tube, referred to as a 2SAP. 2SAPs are of interest as the first known model of confined ring polymers where…
Very soft grain assemblies have unique shape-changing capabilities that allow them to be compressed far beyond the rigid jammed state by filling void spaces more effectively. However, accurately following the formation of these systems by…
Two types of average structures of a single knotted ring polymer are studied by Brownian dynamics simulations. For a ring polymer with N segments, its structure is represented by a 3N -dimensional conformation vector consisting of the…
In this chapter we review the rich behavior of polymer chains embedded in a quenched random environment. We first consider the problem of a Gaussian chain free to move in a random potential with short-ranged correlations. We derive the…
Robotic manipulation of deformable linear objects (DLOs) presents significant challenges due to complex dynamics and frequent self-occlusions. Existing robotic knot tying methods typically rely on precise topological state tracking with…
Knots and links are fascinating and intricate topological objects. Their influence spans from DNA and molecular chemistry to vortices in superfluid helium, defects in liquid crystals and cosmic strings in the early universe. Here, we find…
We consider the space of all smooth knots in the 3-sphere isotopic to a given knot, with the aim of finding a small subspace onto which this large space deformation retracts. For torus knots and many hyperbolic knots we show the subspace…
The statistical mechanics of single polymer knots is studied using Monte Carlo simulations. The polymers are considered on a cubic lattice and their conformations are randomly changed with the help of pivot transformations. After each…
We construct new knot polynomials. Let $V$ be the standard solid torus in 3-space and let $pr$ be its standard projection onto an annulus. Let $M$ be the space of all smooth oriented knots in $V$ such that the restriction of $pr$ is an…
We study how confinement affects topology and conformations in polymer films of varying thickness $h$. The knotting probability exhibits a maximum at intermediate thicknesses near the bulk radius of gyration $h \approx R_\mathrm{g,bulk}$,…
The conformational and electronic properties of conducting flexible random and self-avoiding walk polymer chains are under investigation. A Hamiltonian for conjugated flexible polymers is introduced and its physical consequences are…
Topological states can be used to control the mechanical properties of a material along an edge or around a localized defect. The surface rigidity of elastic networks is characterized by a bulk topological invariant called the polarization;…
Self-avoiding walks are studied on the 3-simplex fractal lattice as a model of linear polymer conformations in a dilute, non-homogeneous solution. A model is supplemented with bending energies and attractive-interaction energies between…
The advent of solid state nanodevices allows for interrogating the physico-chemical properties of a polyelectrolyte chain by electrophoretically driving it through a nanopore. Salient dynamical aspects of the translocation process have been…
We study a classical model of thermally fluctuating polymers confined to two dimensions, experiencing a grooved periodic potential, and subject to pulling forces both along and transverse to the grooves. The equilibrium polymer…