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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 57: Poster - Diffusion
DY 57.17: Poster
Thursday, March 19, 2015, 16:00–18:00, Poster A
Enhancement of dimerization in a 1D-out-of-equilibrium system — •Philipp Seifert1,2, Patrick Hillenbrand2, Vladimir Palyulin2, and Ulrich Gerland2 — 1Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80799 Munich, Germany — 2Theory of Complex Biosystems, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
Mutual enhancement of polymerization and accumulation was recently found to be essential for spontaneous synthesis of long polynucleotides from nucleotide monomers, which is perceived as a substantial step in the emergence of early life [1]. The major driving force behind this effect is a thermally induced drift, which increases the concentration of monomer units in a certain volume and hence enhances the subsequent polymerization. Here we study a simple model of a drift-diffusion system coupled with a reversible dimerization process. We introduce a measure of the global chemical balance, which characterizes the enhancement of dimerization relative to a homogenous system. Numerical and analytical results show a nontrivial dependence of this enhancement on the physical properties of the system. Specifically, we find that the ratio of timescales between physical and chemical processes critically influences the steady state properties.
[1] Mast, C. B., Schink, S., Gerland, U., and Braun, D. (2013). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 110, 8030-8035.