Microcanonical Analysis of Semiflexible Homopolymer with Variable Width Bending Potential

This talk explores the thermodynamic and structural behavior of a modified semiflexible homopolymer model. By varying the width of the bending potential, the thermodynamic behavior and phase diagram is transformed. The study examines how modifying the bending stiffness impacts the system's free energy landscape and the resulting conformational states. Under a range of conditions, qualitatively different configurations such as rods, folded rod bundles, and rings are generated. A two-dimensional replica-exchange Monte Carlo method is employed to facilitate effective sampling across temperature and bending energy parameter spaces. We present insights into the phase transitions and microcanonical properties of these systems, highlighting the flexibility and utility of variable width bending potential models in understanding polymer behavior.