Shapes of Semiflexible Polymers in Confined Spaces

Abstract

We investigate the conformations of a semiflexible polymer confined to a square box. Results of Monte Carlo simulations show the existence of a shape transition when the persistence length of the polymer becomes comparable to the dimensions of box. An order parameter is introduced to quantify this behavior. A simple mean-field model is constructed to study the effect of the shape transition on the effective persistence length of the polymer.

arXiv comment8 pages, 20 figures

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• Stiffness dependence of critical exponents of semiflexible polymer chains situated on two-dimensional compact fractals
• Density fields for branching, stiff networks in rigid confining regions