1,276 research outputs found
A Model Ground State of Polyampholytes
The ground state of randomly charged polyampholytes is conjectured to have a
structure similar to a necklace, made of weakly charged parts of the chain,
compacting into globules, connected by highly charged stretched `strings'. We
suggest a specific structure, within the necklace model, where all the neutral
parts of the chain compact into globules: The longest neutral segment compacts
into a globule; in the remaining part of the chain, the longest neutral segment
(the 2nd longest neutral segment) compacts into a globule, then the 3rd, and so
on. We investigate the size distributions of the longest neutral segments in
random charge sequences, using analytical and Monte Carlo methods. We show that
the length of the n-th longest neutral segment in a sequence of N monomers is
proportional to N/(n^2), while the mean number of neutral segments increases as
sqrt(N). The polyampholyte in the ground state within our model is found to
have an average linear size proportional to sqrt(N), and an average surface
area proportional to N^(2/3).Comment: 8 two-column pages. 5 eps figures. RevTex. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Theta-point universality of polyampholytes with screened interactions
By an efficient algorithm we evaluate exactly the disorder-averaged
statistics of globally neutral self-avoiding chains with quenched random charge
in monomer i and nearest neighbor interactions on
square (22 monomers) and cubic (16 monomers) lattices. At the theta transition
in 2D, radius of gyration, entropic and crossover exponents are well compatible
with the universality class of the corresponding transition of homopolymers.
Further strong indication of such class comes from direct comparison with the
corresponding annealed problem. In 3D classical exponents are recovered. The
percentage of charge sequences leading to folding in a unique ground state
approaches zero exponentially with the chain length.Comment: 15 REVTEX pages. 4 eps-figures . 1 tabl
Ground States of Two-Dimensional Polyampholytes
We perform an exact enumeration study of polymers formed from a (quenched)
random sequence of charged monomers , restricted to a 2-dimensional
square lattice. Monomers interact via a logarithmic (Coulomb) interaction. We
study the ground state properties of the polymers as a function of their excess
charge for all possible charge sequences up to a polymer length N=18. We
find that the ground state of the neutral ensemble is compact and its energy
extensive and self-averaging. The addition of small excess charge causes an
expansion of the ground state with the monomer density depending only on .
In an annealed ensemble the ground state is fully stretched for any excess
charge .Comment: 6 pages, 6 eps figures, RevTex, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
On the Klein-Gordon equation and hyperbolic pseudoanalytic function theory
Elliptic pseudoanalytic function theory was considered independently by Bers
and Vekua decades ago. In this paper we develop a hyperbolic analogue of
pseudoanalytic function theory using the algebra of hyperbolic numbers. We
consider the Klein-Gordon equation with a potential. With the aid of one
particular solution we factorize the Klein-Gordon operator in terms of two
Vekua-type operators. We show that real parts of the solutions of one of these
Vekua-type operators are solutions of the considered Klein-Gordon equation.
Using hyperbolic pseudoanalytic function theory, we then obtain explicit
construction of infinite systems of solutions of the Klein-Gordon equation with
potential. Finally, we give some examples of application of the proposed
procedure
THERMODYNAMICS OF A BROWNIAN BRIDGE POLYMER MODEL IN A RANDOM ENVIRONMENT
We consider a directed random walk making either 0 or moves and a
Brownian bridge, independent of the walk, conditioned to arrive at point on
time . The Hamiltonian is defined as the sum of the square of increments of
the bridge between the moments of jump of the random walk and interpreted as an
energy function over the bridge connfiguration; the random walk acts as the
random environment. This model provides a continuum version of a model with
some relevance to protein conformation. The thermodynamic limit of the specific
free energy is shown to exist and to be self-averaging, i.e. it is equal to a
trivial --- explicitly computed --- random variable. An estimate of the
asymptotic behaviour of the ground state energy is also obtained.Comment: 20 pages, uuencoded postscrip
Collapse of Stiff Polyelectrolytes due to Counterion Fluctuations
The effective elasticity of highly charged stiff polyelectrolytes is studied
in the presence of counterions, with and without added salt. The rigid polymer
conformations may become unstable due to an effective attraction induced by
counterion density fluctuations. Instabilities at the longest, or intermediate
length scales may signal collapse to globule, or necklace states, respectively.
In the presence of added-salt, a generalized electrostatic persistence length
is obtained, which has a nontrivial dependence on the Debye screening length.Comment: 4 pages RevTex, 3 ps figures included using epsf, final version as
appeared in PR
Two-Dimensional Polymers with Random Short-Range Interactions
We use complete enumeration and Monte Carlo techniques to study
two-dimensional self-avoiding polymer chains with quenched ``charges'' .
The interaction of charges at neighboring lattice sites is described by . We find that a polymer undergoes a collapse transition at a temperature
, which decreases with increasing imbalance between charges. At the
transition point, the dependence of the radius of gyration of the polymer on
the number of monomers is characterized by an exponent , which is slightly larger than the similar exponent for homopolymers. We
find no evidence of freezing at low temperatures.Comment: 4 two-column pages, 6 eps figures, RevTex, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Elasticity of Gaussian and nearly-Gaussian phantom networks
We study the elastic properties of phantom networks of Gaussian and
nearly-Gaussian springs. We show that the stress tensor of a Gaussian network
coincides with the conductivity tensor of an equivalent resistor network, while
its elastic constants vanish. We use a perturbation theory to analyze the
elastic behavior of networks of slightly non-Gaussian springs. We show that the
elastic constants of phantom percolation networks of nearly-Gaussian springs
have a power low dependence on the distance of the system from the percolation
threshold, and derive bounds on the exponents.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. E, 10 pages, 1 figur
Knots in Charged Polymers
The interplay of topological constraints and Coulomb interactions in static
and dynamic properties of charged polymers is investigated by numerical
simulations and scaling arguments. In the absence of screening, the long-range
interaction localizes irreducible topological constraints into tight molecular
knots, while composite constraints are factored and separated. Even when the
forces are screened, tight knots may survive as local (or even global)
equilibria, as long as the overall rigidity of the polymer is dominated by the
Coulomb interactions. As entanglements involving tight knots are not easy to
eliminate, their presence greatly influences the relaxation times of the
system. In particular, we find that tight knots in open polymers are removed by
diffusion along the chain, rather than by opening up. The knot diffusion
coefficient actually decreases with its charge density, and for highly charged
polymers the knot's position appears frozen.Comment: Revtex4, 9 pages, 9 eps figure
EP-1191: Study and validation of a deterministic model for energetic particles transport. Application in radiotherapy.
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