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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers
Published on: October 25, 2017
Elasticity of semiflexible polymers in two dimensions
Ashok Prasad1, Yuko Hori, Jané Kondev
1Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Mailstop 057, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454-9110, USA. ashok@brandeis.edu
Abstract:
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.
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