Conformation and dynamics of partially active linear polymers

Abstract

We perform numerical simulations of isolated, partially active polymers, driven out-of-equilibrium by a fraction of their monomers. We show that, if the active beads are all gathered in a contiguous block, the position of the section along the chain determines the conformational and dynamical properties of the system. Notably, one can modulate the diffusion coefficient of the polymer from {active-like to passive-like} just by changing the position of the active block. Further, in special cases, enhancement of diffusion can be achieved by decreasing the overall polymer activity. Our findings may help in the modelization of active biophysical systems, such as filamentous bacteria or worms.