Diffusion of extended structures I polymers

The purpose of this paper is to describe the diffusive motion of a polymer.

The paper describes the Fokker‐Planck equation for the probability distribution of the positions of the monomers and the stochastic equation for their positions (in the large friction limit). The average position is studied for a free polymer ring or an attached ring, respectively.

It is found that this motion is subdiffusive: at time t, the average position of the polymer is of order t^1/4 rather than t^1/2.

The paper is of value in showing that it is wrong to consider a polymer as a particle of large mass, owing to the fact the polymer has an internal structure.