Bimodal probability density characterizes the elastic behavior of a semiflexible polymer in 2D under compression

We explore the elastic behavior of a wormlike chain under compression in terms of exact solutions for the associated probability densities. Strikingly, the probability density for the end-to-end distance projected along the applied force exhibits a bimodal shape in the vicinity of the critical Euler...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Soft matter 2018-04, Vol.14 (14), p.2682-2693
Main Authors: Kurzthaler, Christina, Franosch, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Compression
Density
Elastic buckling
Elasticity
Euler buckling
Phase transitions
Polymers
Variations
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Summary:We explore the elastic behavior of a wormlike chain under compression in terms of exact solutions for the associated probability densities. Strikingly, the probability density for the end-to-end distance projected along the applied force exhibits a bimodal shape in the vicinity of the critical Euler buckling force of an elastic rod, reminiscent of the smeared discontinuous phase transition of a finite system. These two modes reflect the almost stretched and the S-shaped configuration of a clamped polymer induced by the compression. Moreover, we find a bimodal shape of the probability density for the transverse fluctuations of the free end of a cantilevered polymer as fingerprint of its semiflexibility. In contrast to clamped polymers, free polymers display a circularly symmetric probability density and their distributions are identical for compression and stretching forces. We explore the elastic behavior of a wormlike chain under compression in terms of exact solutions for the associated probability densities.
ISSN:1744-683X
1744-6848
DOI:10.1039/c8sm00366a