Eur. Phys. J. E (2011) 34: 135
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2011-11135-3

Regular Article

Dynamical diagram and scaling in polymer driven translocation

¹ Department of Physics, Kyushu University 33, 812-8581, Fukuoka, Japan
² PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 4-1-8 Honcho Kawaguchi, 332-0012, Saitama, Japan

^* e-mail: saito@stat.phys.kyushu-u.ac.jp
^** e-mail: sakaue@phys.kyushu-u.ac.jp

Received: 2 September 2011
Revised: 21 October 2011
Accepted: 5 December 2011
Published online: 28 December 2011

Abstract

By analyzing the real space non-equilibrium dynamics of polymers, we elucidate the physics of driven translocation and propose its dynamical scaling scenario analogous to that in the surface growth phenomena. We provide a detailed account of the previously proposed tension-propagation formulation and extend it to cover the broader parameter space relevant to real experiments. In addition to a near-equilibrium regime, we identify three distinct non-equilibrium regimes reflecting the steady-state property of a dragged polymer with finite extensibility. Finite-size effects are also pointed out. These elements are shown to be crucial for the appropriate comparison with experiments and simulations.