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Total intensity light scattering from short, optically anisotropic wormlike chains
Author(s) -
Allison Stuart A.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
biopolymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1097-0282
pISSN - 0006-3525
DOI - 10.1002/bip.360220609
Subject(s) - light scattering , scattering , anisotropy , static light scattering , chemistry , intensity (physics) , rod , work (physics) , optics , molecular physics , optical anisotropy , condensed matter physics , physics , quantum mechanics , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Simple exact equations are derived for intensity light scattering from optically anisotropic wormlike chains in the absence of excluded volume. The results are valid at low scattering angles ( q 2 〈 R 2 G 〉 ≲ 1) for all sormilke chains from rigid rods to random couils. The present work and an earlier theory [Nagai, K. (1972) Polym. J. 3 , 67–83] appear to be equivalent, although they were both derived using different methods. The present work is primarily concerned with short wormlike chains, since intensity light scattering from short fragments may provide valuable information about DNA flexibility. By using the results of this work to reanalyze some older light‐scattering studies [Godfrey, J. E. & Eisenberg, H. (1976) Biophys. Chem. 5 , 301–318], it is shown that anisotropy corrections to polarized light‐scattering measurements have been overcorrected in the past. It can be anticipated that future light‐scattering experiments will determine the base‐pair anisotropy.