Abstract
We compare Monte Carlo simulations of knotted and unknotted polymers whose ends are connected to two parallel walls. The force f exerted on the polymer is measured as a function of the separation R between the walls. For unknotted polymers of several monomer numbers N, the product fNν is a simple function of R/Nν, where ν ≃ 0.59. By contrast, knotted polymers exhibit strong finite-size effects which can be interpreted in terms of a new length scale related to the size of the knot. Based on this interpretation, we conclude that the number of monomers forming the knot scales as Nt, with t = 0.4 ± 0.1.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 53-59 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | EPL |
Volume | 60 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Oct 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy