Titel
Active topological glass
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Abstract
The glass transition in soft matter systems is generally triggered by an increase in packing fraction or a decrease in temperature. It has been conjectured that the internal topology of the constituent particles, such as polymers, can cause glassiness too. However, the conjecture relies on immobilizing a fraction of the particles and is therefore difficult to fulfill experimentally. Here we show that in dense solutions of circular polymers containing (active) segments of increased mobility, the interplay of the activity and the topology of the polymers generates an unprecedented glassy state of matter. The active isotropic driving enhances mutual ring threading to the extent that the rings can relax only in a cooperative way, which dramatically increases relaxation times. Moreover, the observed phenomena feature similarities with the conformation and dynamics of the DNA fibre in living nuclei of higher eukaryotes.
Stichwort
Biopolymers in vivoCoarse-grained modelsGlassesPolymersStatistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:1376706
Erschienen in
Titel
Nature Communications
Band
11
Ausgabe
1
ISSN
2041-1723
Erscheinungsdatum
2020
Publication
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Fördergeber
Austrian Science Fund (FWF) — M 2470-N28
European Union (all programmes) — FP7/2007–2013
European Union (all programmes) — 340906-MOLPROCOMP
Erscheinungsdatum
2020
Zugänglichkeit
Rechte
Rechteangabe
© The Author(s) 2020
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