Three-dimensional dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of driven polymer transport through a hole in a wall

Abstract

Three-dimensional dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of polymer translocation through a cylindrical hole in a planar slab under the influence of an external driving force are performed. The driving force is intended to emulate the effect of a static electric field applied in an electrolytic solution containing charged monomer particles, as is relevant to the translocation of certain biopolymers through protein channel pores embedded in cell membranes. The time evolution of the probability distribution of the translocation coordinate (the number of monomers that have passed through the pore) is extracted from three-dimensional (3-D) simulations over a range of polymer chain lengths. These distributions are compared to the predictions of a 1-D Smoluchowski equation model of the translocation coordinate dynamics. Good agreement is found, with the effective diffusion constant for the 1-D Smoluchowski model being nearly independent of chain length.