NUGGET
Comparison of Brownian Dynamics-Based Estimates of Polymer’s Tension with Direct Force Measurements
Mark Arsenault, Prashant Purohit, Yale Goldman, and Haim Bau
The measured (symbols) and predicted (lines) variances of filaments’ transverse thermal fluctuations as functions of position along the filament and applied tension. The tensions are estimated by minimizing the difference between theory and experiment and then compared with the pre-determined trap force.
Objectives:
Verify tools of statistical mechanics by applying pre-determined tension to an actin filament with an optical trap and estimating the same tension using a Brownian dynamics model.
With the aid of optical tweezers, forces, on the order of 1 pN, are applied to an actin filament. The filament’s configuration is tracked with a custom algorithm.