The Writhe Distribution Of Stretched Polymers

TL;DR

This paper develops an analytical model to describe the distribution of writhe in stretched DNA molecules under high force, aligning well with recent experimental and simulation data.

Contribution

It introduces a perturbative approach for high-force regimes to analytically determine the writhe distribution in stretched polymers.

Findings

Analytical writhe distribution matches experimental data.

Model agrees with recent simulations.

Provides a simple, tractable approach for high-force conditions.

Abstract

Motivated by experiments in which single DNA molecules are stretched and twisted we consider a perturbative approach around very high forces, where we determine the writhe distribution in a simple, analytically tractable model. Our results are in agreement with recent simulations and experiments.