Abstract
We report a novel rhythmic phenomenon of a single polymer chain between the elongated coil state and the folded compact state under thermodynamically open conditions. It is shown that a T4 DNA molecule (166 kbp) in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) solution exhibits rhythmic conformational change at the focus of a continuous wave (CW) Nd:YAG laser beam (1064 nm), where the laser beam plays dual roles: trapping a molecular chain and making a temperature gradient around the focus. The conformational oscillation is discussed in terms of the limit-cycle oscillation of a single polymer chain driven through the dissipation of the photon energy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 361-367 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Chemical Physics Letters |
| Volume | 330 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2000 Nov 10 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry