2003/04/30 by Radha Balakrishnan, Balakrishnan, Radha, Rossen Dandoloff +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Pattern Formation and Solitons (nlin.PS) #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #cond-mat.soft #nlin.PS #physics.bio-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.nlin/0304060
4 pages
arxiv created 2003/04/30 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
We present an exact analysis of the intrinsic dynamics of two types of biopolymers, described by the wormlike chain (WLC) and the wormlike rod chain (WLRC) models, respectively. We map each model to a classical field theory for an appropriate unit vector field defined on the space curve formed by the axis of the biopolymer. Conformation dynamics and energy transport are shown to be described, respectively, by the soliton-bearing Landau-Lifshitz equation and the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. This enables us to identify the soliton representing the ``conformon'' hypothesized in biopolymers.