DNA denaturation as a new kind of phase transition

TL;DR

This paper explores DNA denaturation as a phase transition characterized by long-range interactions, critical phenomena, and non-universal critical indexes, challenging traditional thermodynamic assumptions near the transition temperature.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective on DNA unbinding as a phase transition with unique critical behavior and large fluctuations, extending the understanding of DNA physics.

Findings

Unbinding maps to a long-range interaction problem.

Critical indexes become non-universal near the transition.

Large fluctuations occur below the critical temperature.

Abstract

Unbinding of a double-stranded DNA reduces to an unscreened long range interaction and maps on various problems. Heterogeneity renormalizes interaction. Renormalization is temperature dependent. At an unbinding transition it approaches critical dimensionality. This implies giant non-universal critical indexes and invalidity of the Gibbs distribution sufficiently close to the critical temperature Tc. Fluctuations are macroscopically large below Tc. There are no fluctuations above it.