Polymer translocation out of confined environments

TL;DR

This paper develops scaling laws for polymer translocation times from confined environments into open spaces, validated by simulations, improving upon earlier models with more accurate exponents.

Contribution

The paper introduces refined scaling predictions for polymer translocation times from confined spaces, supported by Langevin dynamics simulations, enhancing previous theoretical models.

Findings

Translocation time scales with chain length and confinement size as predicted.

Scaling exponents are improved over earlier theoretical predictions.

Simulation results support the proposed scaling laws.

Abstract

We consider the dynamics of polymer translocation out of confined environments. Analytic scaling arguments lead to the prediction that the translocation time scales like $\tau\sim N^{\beta+\nu_{2D}}R^{1+(1-\nu_{2D})/\nu}$ for translocation out of a planar confinement between two walls with separation $R$ into a 3D environment, and $\tau \sim N^{\beta+1}R$ for translocation out of two strips with separation $R$ into a 2D environment. Here, $N$ is the chain length, $\nu$ and $\nu_{2D}$ are the Flory exponents in 3D and 2D, and $\beta$ is the scaling exponent of translocation velocity with $N$, whose value for the present choice of parameters is $\beta \approx 0.8$ based on Langevin dynamics simulations. These scaling exponents improve on earlier predictions.