Mode-coupling theory for heteropolymers

TL;DR

This paper develops a mode-coupling theoretical framework to analyze the out-of-equilibrium slow dynamics and aging phenomena in heteropolymers, providing new insights into disordered polymer behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a mode-coupling approximation scheme and a renormalization-group approach to study heteropolymer dynamics, highlighting aging and violation of fluctuation-dissipation.

Findings

Identification of a low-temperature aging regime

Violation of fluctuation-dissipation theorem observed

Renormalization-group analysis supports the mode-coupling results

Abstract

We study the Langevin dynamics of a heteropolymer by means of a mode-coupling approximation scheme, giving rise to a set of coupled integro-differential equations relating the response and correlation functions. The analysis shows that there is a regime at low temperature characterized by out-of-equilibrium dynamics, with violation of time-translational invariance and of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. The onset of ageing dynamics at low temperatures gives new insight into the nature of the slow dynamics of a disordered polymer. We also introduce a renormalization-group treatment of our mode-coupling equations, which supports our analysis, and might be applicable to other systems.