title: Topologically driven swelling of a polymer loop.
abstract: Numerical studies of the average size of trivially knotted polymer loops with no excluded volume were undertaken. Topology was identified by Alexander and Vassiliev degree 2 invariants. Probability of a trivial knot, average gyration radius, and probability density distributions as functions of gyration radius were generated for loops of up to N = 3,000 segments. Gyration radii of trivially knotted loops were found to follow a power law similar to that of self-avoiding walks consistent with earlier theoretical predictions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Rhonald C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lua
authors.forename: Alexander Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Grosberg