Related papers: A one-dimensional model for theoretical analysis o…
We study the conformations of polymer chains in a poor solvent, with and without bending rigidity, by means of a simple statistical mechanics model. This model can be exactly solved for chains of length up to N=55 using exact enumeration…
We compute the distribution of the work done in stretching a Gaussian polymer, made of N monomers, at a finite rate. For a one-dimensional polymer undergoing Rouse dynamics, the work distribution is a Gaussian and we explicitly compute the…
We study the mechanical properties of semiflexible polymers when the contour length of the polymer is comparable to its persistence length. We compute the exact average end-to-end distance and shape of the polymer for different boundary…
Single-molecule force-extension experiments have allowed quantitative measurements of the mechanical responses of biomolecules to applied forces explaining their roles in key biological functions. Electrophoretic stretching of charged…
The forced rupture of single chemical bonds under external load is addressed. A general framework is put forward to optimally utilize the experimentally observed rupture force data for estimating the parameters of a theoretical model. As an…
Single-molecule stretching experiments on DNA, RNA, and other biological macromolecules opened up the possibility of an impressive progress in many fields of Life and Medical sciences. The reliability of such experiments may be crucially…
Forced detachment of a single polymer chain, strongly-adsorbed on a solid substrate, is investigated by two complementary methods: a coarse-grained analytical dynamical model, based on the Onsager stochastic equation, and Molecular Dynamics…
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…
We present a statistical mechanical study of stiff polymers, motivated by experiments on actin filaments and the considerable current interest in polymer networks. We obtain simple, approximate analytical forms for the force-extension…
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 analyze the scaling laws for a set of two different species of long flexible polymer chains joined together at one of their extremities (copolymer stars) in space dimension D=2. We use a formerly constructed field-theoretic description…
A {\it new} formula for the force vs extension relation is derived from the discrete version of the so called {\it worm like chain} model. This formula correctly fits some recent experimental data on polymer stretching and some numerical…
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…
The tethered-particle method is a single-molecule technique that has been used to explore the dynamics of a variety of macromolecules of biological interest. We give a theoretical analysis of the particle motions in such experiments. Our…
We present a numerical study of forced polymer translocation by using two separate pore models. Both of them have been extensively used in previous forced translocation studies. We show that variations in the pore model affect the forced…
We analyze the nonequilibrium dynamics of single inextensible semiflexible biopolymers as stretching forces are applied at the ends. Based on different (contradicting) heuristic arguments, various scaling laws have been proposed for the…
Using the atomic force microscope based break junction approach, applicable to metal point contacts and single molecule junctions, measurements can be repeated thousands of times resulting in rich data sets characterizing the properties of…
Single-molecule pulling techniques have emerged as versatile tools for probing the noncovalent forces holding together the secondary and tertiary structure of macromolecules. They also constitute a way to study at the single-molecule level…
We investigate extensional viscosity and polymer conformation in dilute polymer solutions under uniaxial extensional flow using dissipative particle dynamics simulations. At high extension rates, polymers are significantly stretched by…
Behavior of a dilute polymer solution in a random three-dimensional flow with an average shear is studied experimentally. Polymer contribution to the shear stress is found to be more than two orders of magnitude higher than in a laminar…