Non-equilibrium hydrodynamics of a rotating filament.pdfVIP

a r X i v : 0 8 0 3 .3 1 6 8 v 1 [ c o n d - m a t .s o f t ] 2 1 M a r 2 0 0 8 Europhysics Letters PREPRINT Non-equilibrium hydrodynamics of a rotating filament H. Wada and R. R. Netz Physik Department, Technical University Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany PACS. 87.15.-v – Biomolecules: structure and physical properties. PACS. 47.20.Ky – Nonlinearity, bifurcation, and symmetry breaking. PACS. 47.63.mf – Low-Reynolds-number motion. Abstract. – The nonlinear dynamics of an elastic filament that is forced to rotate at its base is studied by hydrodynamic simulation techniques; coupling between stretch, bend, twist elasticity and thermal fluctuations is included. The twirling-overwhirling transition is located and found to be strongly discontinuous. For finite bend and twist persistence length, thermal fluctuations lower the threshold rotational frequency, for infinite persistence length the threshold agrees with previous analytical predictions. The dynamics and morphology of elastic filaments are of interest in various fields en- compassing systems on many different length scales [1]. Relevant examples are provided by biopolymes and bio-assemblies, including DNA, actin filaments, microtubules, and multicel- lular organisms like Bacillus subtilis [2]. Modern micro-manipulation techniques allow to observe and analyze filament dynamics on the single-molecule level [3], prompting a detailed understanding of the combined effects of fluctuations, hydrodynamics and elasticity. Static properties of elastic rods under external force loads have a long history of study, dating back to Euler [4]. Of current interest is the time-dependent behavior of such driven filaments and the possibility of shape bifurcations, especially on the biologically relevant nano-to-micro length scales, where viscous hydrodynamic dissipation dominates over inertia. In this Letter, we describe a hydrodynamic simulation technique for elastic filaments with arbitrary shape and rigidity and subject t