Session S8 - Nucleic Acids II.
ORAL session, Wednesday afternoon, March 24
510A, Palais des Congres
We show that Kramers rate theory gives a straightforward, accurate estimate of the closing time \tau_c of a biopolymer. The calculation is valid in cases of physical interest and reveals how the time scales of chain relaxation and closing are intertwined, illuminating an apparent conflict between two ways of calculating \tau_c in the flexible limit. For semiflexible polymers, the closing time is shortest for chains that are 3-4 times the persistence length L_p. We explain briefly the biological implications of this result.