Litcius/Paper detail

Persistence homology of entangled rings

Fabio Landuzzi, Takenobu Nakamura, Davide Michieletto, Takahiro Sakaue

2020Physical Review Research22 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF

Abstract

Topological constraints (TCs) between polymers determine the behavior of complex fluids such as creams, oils, and plastics. Most of the polymer solutions used in everyday life employ linear chains; their behavior is accurately captured by the reptation and tube theories which connect microscopic TCs to macroscopic viscoelasticity. On the other hand, polymers with nontrivial topology, such as rings, hold great promise for new technology but pose a challenging problem as they do not obey standard theories; additionally, topological invariance, i.e., the fact that rings must remain unknotted and unlinked if prepared so, precludes any serious analytical treatment.

Topics & Concepts

ReptationPersistent homologyHomology (biology)Persistence (discontinuity)Topology (electrical circuits)PolymerMathematicsStatistical physicsPhysicsLinear polymerPure mathematicsTheoretical physicsQuantum entanglementComputer scienceCritical point (mathematics)Topological and Geometric Data AnalysisHomotopy and Cohomology in Algebraic TopologyMaterial Dynamics and Properties