Global cross-over dynamics of single semiflexible polymers

We present a mean-field dynamical theory for single semiflexible polymers which can precisely capture, without fitting parameters, recent fluorescence correlation spectroscopy results on single monomer kinetics of DNA strands in solution. Our approach works globally, covering three decades of strand length and five decades of time: it includes the complex cross-overs occurring between stiffness-dominated and flexible bending modes, along with larger-scale rotational and center-of-mass motion. The accuracy of the theory stems in part from long-range hydrodynamic coupling between the monomers, which makes a mean-field description more realistic. Its validity extends even to short, stiff fragments, where we also test the theory through Brownian hydrodynamics simulations.