Extreme-value statistics of work done in stretching a polymer in a gradient flow

We analyze the statistics of work generated by a gradient flow to stretch a nonlinear polymer. We obtain the large deviation function (LDF) of the work in the full range of appropriate parameters by combining analytical and numerical tools. The LDF shows two distinct asymptotes: "near tails&quo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics, 2015-02, Vol.91 (2), p.022123-022123, Article 022123
Main Authors: Vucelja, M, Turitsyn, K S, Chertkov, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We analyze the statistics of work generated by a gradient flow to stretch a nonlinear polymer. We obtain the large deviation function (LDF) of the work in the full range of appropriate parameters by combining analytical and numerical tools. The LDF shows two distinct asymptotes: "near tails" are linear in work and dominated by coiled polymer configurations, while "far tails" are quadratic in work and correspond to preferentially fully stretched polymers. We find the extreme value statistics of work for several singular elastic potentials, as well as the mean and the dispersion of work near the coil-stretch transition. The dispersion shows a maximum at the transition.
ISSN:1539-3755
1550-2376
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.91.022123