RNA folding inside a virus capsid and dimensional reduction.

ORAL

Abstract

As RNA folds on itself , in certain conditions, it takes the form of a branched polymer. So the problem of RNA folding in a virus capsid is essentially the problem of a branched polymer in a confined environment. In this paper we attack the problem using the technique of dimensional reduction which relates a branched polymer with self interation in D dimension to a hardcore classical gas in (D-2) dimension. We look for phase transitions and intersting physical quantities such as pressure.

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Authors

  • Rouzbeh Ghafouri

    • Department of Physics, UCLA

  • Robijn Bruinsma

    • Deparment of Physics, UCLA
    • Department of Physics, UCLA
    • UCLA
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles
    • Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Joseph Rudnick

    • Department of Physics, UCLA