Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 22: Statistical Physics of Biological Systems III (with DY)

BP 22.8: Talk

Thursday, March 29, 2012, 16:45–17:00, H 1058

Implicit Electrohydrodynamics of Polyelectrolytes Using Lattice-Boltzmann — •Owen A. Hickey and Christian Holm — Institut für Computerphysik, Universität Stuttgart, Deutschland

We make use of an implicit method to simulate the electrohydrodynamics of a polyelectrolyte to an external electric field. The method uses a new coupling of Lennard-Jones beads to a lattice-Boltzmann fluid which forces the difference between the velocity of a bead and the local fluid velocity to be the Smoluchowski slip velocity. The method is validated by first simulating the free solution electrophoresis of polymers. The technique is then used to verify the surprising result that the force necessary to hold a charged polymer at rest in an electric field is proportional to the hydrodynamic radius, and not the total charge on the polymer. Further results show other surprising effects, like how heterogeneously charged objects with no net charge can have non-zero mobilities and that they can even move perpendicular to the applied electric field.