Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Chemical reactions can sustain polymer motion without necessarily generating the compression required for buckling. Theory and simulations show that tension-dependent chemical transitions coupled to bond elasticity generate finite-wavelength traveling strain waves in a semiflexible polymer. In the straight chain at fixed axial span, the waves reduce mean active contraction while leaving mean elastic tension unchanged, generating compression that drives bending above a threshold. Releasing the mean load allows longitudinal waves to persist while transverse perturbations decay.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Tian, Wen-de, Chen, Kang, Zhang, Tianhui
Institution: Soochow University
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223318880