title: Dynamic compression of single nanochannel confined DNA via a nanodozer assay.
abstract: We show that a single DNA molecule confined and extended in a nanochannel can be dynamically compressed by sliding a permeable gasket at a fixed velocity relative to the stationary polymer. The gasket is realized experimentally by optically trapping a nanosphere inside a nanochannel. The trapped bead acts like a "nanodozer," directly applying compressive forces to the molecule without requirement of chemical attachment. Remarkably, these strongly nonequilibrium measurements can be quantified via a simple nonlinear convective-diffusion formalism and yield insights into the local blob statistics, allowing us to conclude that the compressed nanochannel-confined chain exhibits mean-field behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 rue university, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khorshid
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 rue university, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zimny
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 rue university, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tétreault-La Roche
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 rue university, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada.
authors.forename: Geremia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Massarelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Kyushu University 33, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakaue
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 rue university, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reisner
mesh_terms: D017122:Bacteriophage T4 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D004247:DNA