Monte Carlo of Chains with Excluded Volume: Distribution of Intersegmental Distances

Abstract

A Monte Carlo study of non-self-intersecting chains on a four-choice cubic lattice is undertaken with the help of a recently described “dimerization” method. This method permits to avoid the difficulty of “sample attrition,” enabling the construction of relatively long chains. Certain improvements of the method are described and its validity is substantiated. The distribution and average values of the end to end, as well as of various intrachain distances, are determined for chain lengths varying from N = 32 to 8192. The results indicate that the basic assumptions of several theories on excluded volume need to be revised.