Analysis of the model dependence of Monte Carlo results for the relaxation of the end-to-end distance of polymer chains

Abstract

Recently, Verdier and Kranbuehl (VK) have examined by Monte Carlo simulation the relaxation times for the end‐to‐end vector of a polymer, with excluded volume, on a lattice. The kinetic model employed by VK includes two‐bead crankshaft motions in contrast to earlier kinetic models that included only single‐bead motions. It is shown that the new VK model contains constraints similar to those discussed by Hilhorst and Deutch for the single‐bead model. These constraints lead to artificially long relaxation times not due to the long‐range excluded‐volume effect.