Positional, reorientational, and bond orientational order in DNA mesophases

We investigate the orientational order of transverse polarization vectors of long, stiff polymer molecules and their coupling to bond orientational and positional order in high density mesophases. Homogeneous ordering of transverse polarization vector promotes distortions in the hexatic phase, where...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2001-11, Vol.87 (21), p.218101-2181014, Article 218101
Main Authors: Lorman, V, Podgornik, R, Zeks, B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical bonds
Crystal symmetry
Crystallization
DNA - chemistry
Free energy
Molecular orientation
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Phase diagrams
Phase transitions
Polarization
Thermodynamics
Vectors
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Summary:We investigate the orientational order of transverse polarization vectors of long, stiff polymer molecules and their coupling to bond orientational and positional order in high density mesophases. Homogeneous ordering of transverse polarization vector promotes distortions in the hexatic phase, whereas inhomogeneous ordering precipitates crystallization of the 2D sections with different orientations of the transverse polarization vector on each molecule in the unit cell. We propose possible scenarios for going from the hexatic phase, through the distorted hexatic phase, to the crystalline phase with an orthorhombic unit cell observed experimentally for the case of DNA.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.218101