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Free energy of a semiflexible polymer confined along an axis

1995; Institute of Physics; Volume: 28; Issue: 24 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1088/0305-4470/28/24/001

1361-6447

Theodore W. Burkhardt,

stochastic dynamics and bifurcation

A continuum model of a fluctuating semiflexible polymer chain confined along an axis is considered. In the regime of strong confinement, configurations with overhangs are negligible, and the partition function is determined by a partial differential equation. An extremum principle for eigensolutions is formulated. The exact solution of the differential equation for a polymer in a harmonic potential is given. A lower bound for the confinement free energy of a polymer in a tube is obtained.