Elasticity of a DNA chain dotted with bubbles under force

Abstract

The bending elastic modulus and the extension along the direction of the force are shown to be related to the bubble number fluctuation and the average number of bubbles respectively, when the strands of the DNA are subjected to a force along the same direction, here we call a stretching force. The force-temperature phase diagram shows the existence of a tri-critical point (TCP), where the first-order force induced zipping transition becomes continuous. On the other hand, when the forces are being applied in opposite directions, here we call an unzipping force, the transition remains first order, with the possibility of vanishing of the low-temperature re-entrant phase for a sufficiently semi-flexible DNA. Moreover, we found that the bulk elasticity changes only if an external force alter the bubble statistics.