title: Relaxation dynamics of semiflexible polymers.
abstract: We study the relaxation dynamics of a semiflexible chain by introducing a time-dependent tension. The chain has one of its ends attached to a large bead, and the other end is fixed. We focus on the initial relaxation of the chain that is initially strongly stretched. Using a tension that is self-consistently determined, we obtain the evolution of the end-to-end distance with no free parameters. Our results are in good agreement with single molecule experiments on double stranded DNA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bohbot-Raviv
authors.forename: W Z
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feingold
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wiggins
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Granek
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D004247:DNA