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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2289/4283
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dc.contributor.authorSamuel, J.-
dc.contributor.authorSinha, Supurna-
dc.date.accessioned2012-01-18T06:03:57Z-
dc.date.available2012-01-18T06:03:57Z-
dc.date.issued2011-04-
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Statistical Physics, 2011, Vol.143, p399en
dc.identifier.issn1572-9613 (Online)-
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2289/4283-
dc.descriptionRestricted Access. An open-access version is available at arXiv.org (one of the alternative locations)en
dc.description.abstractThe torsional elasticity of semiflexible polymers like DNA is of biological significance. A mathematical treatment of this problem was begun by Fuller using the relation between link, twist and writhe, but progress has been hindered by the non-local nature of the writhe. This stands in the way of an analytic statistical mechanical treatment, which takes into account thermal fluctuations, in computing the partition function. In this paper we use the well known analogy with the dynamics of tops to show that when subjected to stretch and twist, the polymer configurations which dominate the partition function admit a local writhe formulation in the spirit of Fuller and thus provide an underlying justification for the use of Fuller’s “local writhe expression” which leads to considerable mathematical simplification in solving theoretical models of DNA and elucidating their predictions. Our result facilitates comparison of the theoretical models with single molecule micromanipulation experiments and computer simulationsen
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherSpringeren
dc.relation.urihttp://arxiv.org/abs/1011.6485en
dc.relation.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10955-011-0175-1en
dc.relation.urihttp://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011JSP...143..399Sen
dc.rights2011 Springer Scienceen
dc.subjectTopsen
dc.subjectThermal fluctuationsen
dc.subjectWritheen
dc.subjectTorsional elasticity of polymersen
dc.titleTops and writhing DNAen
dc.typeArticleen
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