Twist and writhe dynamics of stiff filaments

Abstract

This letter considers the dynamics of a stiff filament, in particular the coupling of twist and bend via writhe. The time dependence of the writhe of a filament is $W_r^2\sim L{t}^{1/4}$ for a linear filament and $W_r^2\sim t^{1/2}/L$ for a curved filament. Simulations are used to study the relative importance of crankshaft motion and tube like motion in twist dynamics. Fuller's theorem, and its relation with the Berry phase, is reconsidered for open filaments

7 Pages with 2 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Entropic Elasticity of Twist-Storing Polymers
• The Viscous Nonlinear Dynamics of Twist and Writhe
• Dynamic Fluctuations of Semiflexible Polymers

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Fluctuating Elastic Rings: Statics and Dynamics
• Requirements for DNA-bridging proteins to act as topological barriers of the bacterial genome
• On the writhe of non-closed curves
• Twisting or untwisting graphene twisted nanoribbons without rotation