Phys. Rev. E 72, 041918 (2005) [7 pages]Elasticity of semiflexible polymers in two dimensionsReceived 31 May 2005; published 18 October 2005 We study theoretically the entropic elasticity of a semiflexible polymer, such as DNA, confined to two dimensions. Using the worm-like-chain model we obtain an exact analytical expression for the partition function of the polymer pulled at one end with a constant force. The force-extension relation for the polymer is computed in the long chain limit in terms of Mathieu characteristic functions. We also present applications to the interaction between a semiflexible polymer and a nematic field, and derive the nematic order parameter and average extension of the polymer in a strong field. © 2005 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.72.041918
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevE.72.041918
PACS:
87.15.−v, 82.37.Rs, 87.16.Ac, 36.20.Ey
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