Polymer translocation into laterally unbounded confined environments

TL;DR

This study uses 3D Langevin dynamics simulations to explore how polymer translocation dynamics are affected by lateral confinement between parallel walls, revealing a nonuniversal dependence of translocation time on driving force and confinement size.

Contribution

It provides new insights into polymer translocation behavior in confined environments, highlighting the effects of lateral confinement on translocation time and dynamics.

Findings

Translocation time decreases with increasing wall separation R.

Translocation time saturates for large R.

Confined environment causes nonuniversal dependence of translocation time on force F.

Abstract

Using Langevin dynamics simulations in three dimensions (3D), we investigate the dynamics of polymer translocation into the regions between two parallel plane walls with separation $R$ under a driving force $F$, respectively. Compared with an unconfined environment, the translocation dynamics is greatly changed due to the crowding effect of the partially translocated monomers. Translocation time $\tau$ initially decreases rapidly with increasing $R$ and then saturates for larger $R$, and the confined environment leads to a nonuniversal dependence of $\tau$ on $F$.