Mesoscopic modeling of DNA transport in an array of entropic barriers

Anastasios Matzavinos (February 9, 2016)

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In this talk, we discuss dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations of the dispersion of DNA molecules conveyed by a pressure-driven fluid flow across a periodic array of entropic barriers. We compare our simulations with nanofluidic experiments, which show the DNA to transition between various types of behaviors as the pressure is increased, and discuss physical insights afforded by the ability of the DPD method to explicitly model flows in the system. Finally, we present anomalous diffusion phenomena that emerge in both experiment and simulation, and we illustrate similarities between this system and Brownian motion in a tilted periodic potential. This is a joint work with Clark Bowman, Daniel Kim, and Derek Stein.