Evan Hohlfeld, Phillip L. Geissler
We present a computational and theoretical study of a many-body Brownian ratchet, in which a "gel" of multiple, stiff polymerizing filaments pushes a diffusing obstacle. Our results show that steady-state dynamics of this system are strongly influenced by a layer of depleted filament density at the obstacle-gel interface. Inter-filament correlations within this molecule-thick layer have dramatic consequences for the velocity and structure of the growing gel. These emergent behaviors can be captured by mean field theories that emphasize the non-additivity of polymerization forces and indicate a key role for the fluctuating gap between gel and obstacle.
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http://arxiv.org/abs/1204.1804
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