Biopolymer hairpin loops sustained by polarons

Chakrabarti, B.; Piette, B.; Zakrzewski, W.J.Z.

doi:10.1103/physreve.86.021910

Biopolymer hairpin loops sustained by polarons

Chakrabarti, B.; Piette, B.; Zakrzewski, W.J.Z.

Authors

B. Chakrabarti

Professor Bernard Piette b.m.a.g.piette@durham.ac.uk
Professor

W.J.Z. Zakrzewski

Abstract

We show that polarons can sustain looplike configurations in flexible biopolymers and that the size of the loops depend on both the flexural rigidity of the polymer and the electron-phonon coupling constant. In particular we show that for single stranded DNA (ssDNA) and polyacetylene such loops can have as few as seven monomers. We also show that these configurations are very stable under thermal fluctuations and so could facilitate the formation of hairpin loops of ssDNA.

Citation

Chakrabarti, B., Piette, B., & Zakrzewski, W. (2012). Biopolymer hairpin loops sustained by polarons. Physical review E: Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics, 86(2), Article 021910. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.86.021910

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Jan 1, 2012
Deposit Date	Sep 13, 2013
Publicly Available Date	Oct 15, 2013
Journal	Physical review . E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Print ISSN	1539-3755
Electronic ISSN	1550-2376
Publisher	American Physical Society
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	86
Issue	2
Article Number	021910
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.86.021910