title: Orientational correlations in confined DNA.
abstract: We study how the orientational correlations of DNA confined to nanochannels depend on the channel diameter D by means of Monte Carlo simulations and a mean-field theory. This theory describes DNA conformations in the experimentally relevant regime where the Flory-de Gennes theory does not apply. We show how local correlations determine the dependence of the end-to-end distance of the DNA molecule upon D. Tapered nanochannels provide the necessary resolution in D to study experimentally how the extension of confined DNA molecules depends upon D. Our experimental and theoretical results are in qualitative agreement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Westerlund
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Tegenfeldt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mehlig
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001703:Biophysics / Q000379:methods*; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D007477:Ions; D008027:Light; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D007477:Ions; D011108:Polymers; D004247:DNA