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