2001/08/31 by Enrico Carlon, Enzo Orlandini, Attilio L. Stella · 3 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry #Protein Structure and Dynamics #Theoretical and Computational Physics #cond-mat.stat-mech #q-bio
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.88.198101
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 198101 (2002) · RevTeX 4 Pages and 4 PostScript figures included. Final version as published
openalex publication_date 2002/04/29 · arxiv created 2002/05/02 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The nature and the universal properties of DNA thermal denaturation are investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. For suitable lattice models we determine the exponent c describing the decay of the probability distribution of denaturated loops of length l, P approximately l(-c). If excluded volume effects are fully taken into account, c = 2.10(4) is consistent with a first order transition. The stiffness of the double stranded chain has the effect of sharpening the transition, if it is continuous, but not of changing its order and the value of the exponent c, which is also robust with respect to inclusion of specific base-pair sequence heterogeneities.