Origin of Metastable Knots in Single Flexible Chains

Author(s)
Dai, Liang; Doyle, Patrick S.; Renner, Christopher Benjamin
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Abstract
Recent theoretical progress has explained the physics of knotting of semiflexible polymers, yet knotting of flexible polymers is relatively unexplored. We herein develop a new theory for the size distribution of knots on a flexible polymer and the existence of metastable knots. We show the free energy of a flexible molecule in a tube can be mapped to quantitatively reproduce the free energy distribution of a knot on a flexible chain. The size distribution of knots on flexible chains is expected to be universal and might be observed at a macroscopic scale, such as a string of hard balls.
Date issued
2015-01
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/93176
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
Journal
Physical Review Letters
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Dai, Liang, C. Benjamin Renner, and Patrick S. Doyle. "Origin of Metastable Knots in Single Flexible Chains." Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 037801 (January 2015). © 2015 American Physical Society
Version: Final published version
ISSN
0031-9007
1079-7114
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