Dresden 2017 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 18: Statistical Physics in Biological Systems II (Joint Session DY/BP)

BP 18.6: Talk

Tuesday, March 21, 2017, 15:15–15:30, ZEU 118

Chirality-mediated interaction between knots on tensioned polymers — •Raffaello Potestio — Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany

Knots appear frequently in semiflexible (bio)polymers, including double-stranded DNA, and their presence can affect the polymers' physical and functional properties. It is possible and indeed often the case that multiple knots appear on a single chain, with effects which are under scrutiny since only a few years. In this talk I will discuss the equilibrium properties of two knots on a stretched semiflexible polymer, an idealization of a typical optical tweezer experiment. Specifically, I will focus on how the knots' relative chirality affects their interaction, rationalizing some of their pertinent features by means of simple effective models. The implications of the chirality-dependent knot-knot interaction will be discussed, in particular with respect to their consequences for the characterization and manipulation of these systems -be they artificial or of biological origin- and for their technological application.