Continuous Model for Homopolymers

TL;DR

This paper analyzes a continuous model for long homopolymers in potential fields, revealing a phase transition from globular to extended configurations at a critical temperature and examining the polymer's limiting behavior near this transition.

Contribution

It introduces a continuous model for homopolymers and characterizes the phase transition and limiting behavior at critical and near-critical temperatures.

Findings

Phase transition from globular to extended at critical temperature

Limiting behavior of polymers near the critical point

Dependence of polymer shape on temperature parameter

Abstract

We consider the model for the distribution of a long homopolymer in a potential field. The typical shape of the polymer depends on the temperature parameter. We show that at a critical value of the temperature the transition occurs from a globular to an extended phase. For various values of the temperature, including those at or near the critical value, we consider the limiting behavior of the polymer when its size tends to infinity.