Driven polymer translocation through a cylindrical nanochannel: interplay between the channel length and the chain length

Abstract

Using analytical techniques and Langevin dynamics simulations, we investigate the dynamics of polymer translocation through a nanochannel embedded in two dimensions under an applied external field. We examine the translocation time for various ratio of the channel length L to the polymer length N. For short channels L ≪ N, the translocation time τ ∼ N^1+ν under weak driving force F, while τ ∼ F⁻¹L for long channels L ≫ N, independent of the chain length N. Moreover, we observe a minimum of translocation time as a function of L/N for different driving forces and channel widths. These results are interpreted by the waiting time of a single segment.