Phase Diagram of Twist Storing Lattice Polymers in Variable Solvent Quality

TL;DR

This paper investigates the phase behavior of twist-storing lattice polymers, like DNA, under varying solvent conditions and stretching, revealing a thermodynamic transition influenced by writhe through simulation studies.

Contribution

It introduces a lattice model incorporating writhe to simulate DNA-like polymers and maps out phase diagrams considering solvent quality and mechanical stretching.

Findings

Evidence of a thermodynamic phase transition induced by writhe

Phase diagrams showing effects of solvent quality and stretching

Simulation results aligning with experimental DNA behavior

Abstract

When double stranded DNA is turned in experiments it undergoes a transition. We use an interacting self-avoiding walk on a three-dimensional fcc lattice weighted by writhe to relate to these experiments and treat this problem via simulations. We provide evidence for the existence of a thermodynamic phase transition induced by writhe and examine related phase diagrams taking solvent quality and stretching into account.