Dynamics and Conformations of Semiflexible Particle Chains Driven By Rotating Magnetic Fields

In both biological and industrial processes, the dynamics of various rigid and elastic fibers affect the function and properties of their respective systems. However, the connection between the flexibility of the fiber and the external driving forces is still not well known. As such, we investigate the dynamical behavior of semiflexible fibers with a tunable model system consisting of linked paramagnetic colloidal particles. The chains are described by l_p and l_c, the persistence length and contour length, and the magnetic driving force is described by H and f, the strength and frequency of the external field. We find that the dynamics depend on both chain length and the dimensionless Mason number, and identify the conformations present in various regimes.