Force-Extension Curve of an Entangled Polymer Chain: A Superspace Approach

The statistical mechanics of an ideal polymer chain entangled with static topological constraints is studied using a superspace approach, in which the probability distribution of the polymer is obtained as solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation in a superspace with an inner structure characterized by the n-generator free group. The theory predicts that the force-extension curve of the polymer under the topological constraints has the generic …