Hydrodynamics of polymers in an active bath

Abstract

The conformational and dynamical properties of active polymers in solution are determined by the nature of the activity. Here, the behavior of polymers with self-propelled, active Brownian particle-type monomers differs qualitatively from that of polymers with monomers driven externally by colored-noise forces. We present simulation and theoretical results for polymers in solution in the presence of external active noise. In simulations, a semiflexible bead-spring chain is considered, in analytical calculations, a continuous linear wormlike chain. Activity is taken into account by independent monomer or site velocities, with orientations changing in a diffusive manner. In simulations, hydrodynamic interactions (HIs) are taken into account by the Rotne-Prager-Yamakawa tensor or by an implementation of the active polymer in the multiparticle-collision-dynamics approach for fluids. To arrive at an analytical solution, the preaveraged Oseen tensor is employed. The active process implies a dependence of the stationary-state properties on HIs via the polymer relaxation times. With increasing activity, HIs lead to an enhanced swelling of flexible polymers, and the conformational properties differ substantially from those of polymers with self-propelled monomers in the presence of HIs, or free-draining polymers. The polymer mean-square displacement is enhanced by HIs. Over a wide range of timescales, hydrodynamics leads to a subdiffusive regime of the site mean-square displacement for flexible active polymers, with an exponent of 5/7, larger than that of the Rouse (1/2) and Zimm (2/3) models of passive polymers.