title: Normal mode analysis of a model semirigid polymer.
abstract: Dynamic and structural properties of biological polymers are important to their function but it is difficult to obtain information on molecular flexibility at an atomic level. This paper describes how a normal mode analysis can be used to describe the equilibrium and nonequilibrium properties of complex polymer systems such as DNA in solution. A weak coupling between the chain deformation and the local chain orientation simplifies the calculations. A crossover in the normal mode behavior is proposed with a transition from straight rod bend modes to longitudinal oscillations of a coil conformation as a function of the stiffness and the degree of polymerization.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique de la Matiere Condensee, CNRS 6622, Nice, France. tenbosch@unice.fr
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authors.lastname: ten Bosch