Prados, AntonioCarpio Rodríguez, Ana MaríaBonilla, Luis L.2024-01-192024-01-192013Prados, A., Carpio Rodríguez, A. M., Bonilla, L. L. «Sawtooth Patterns in Force-Extension Curves of Biomolecules: An Equilibrium-Statistical-Mechanics Theory». Physical Review E, vol. 88, n.o 1, julio de 2013, p. 012704. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.88.012704.2470-004510.1103/PhysRevE.88.012704https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/94079We analyze the force-extension curve for a general class of systems, which are described at the mesoscopic level by a free energy depending on the extension of its components. Similarly to what is done in real experiments, the total length of the system is the controlled parameter. This imposes a global constraint in the minimization procedure leading to the equilibrium values of the extensions. As a consequence, the force-extension curve has multiple branches in a certain range of forces. The stability of these branches is governed by the free energy: there are a series of first-order phase transitions at certain values of the total length, in which the free energy itself is continuous but its first derivative, the force, has a finite jump. This behavior is completely similar to that observed in real experiments with biomolecules like proteins and with other complex systems.engjournal article2470-0053https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.88.012704restricted accessBiomatemáticas2404 Biomatemáticas