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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Stretching Short Sequences of DNA with Constant Force Axial Optical Tweezers
Published on: October 13, 2011
Relaxation of stretched DNA in slitlike confinement
A Balducci1, C-C Hsieh, P S Doyle
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Abstract:
We experimentally observe two separate time scales governing the entropic recoil in the linear force-extension regime of single double-stranded DNA in slit confinement. We demonstrate the existence of two distinct relaxation regimes at different extensions during relaxation. Contrary to bulk measurements, the true longest relaxation time may only be probed very close to equilibrium. A simple model of the relaxation mechanism leads to a scaling analysis that correctly predicts the extension at the crossover between the two regimes.
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