Relation between a Screened Polyelectrolyte and a Field Theory
Abstract
Description
There exists a generic relationship between the thermodynamics of a continuous polymer with a generic self-interaction and the two-point function of an interacting field-theory. In addition, the (2N)-point function of the resulting field theory is similarly related to a system of N interacting polymers.
In the present paper, this relation is explored for the special case of a polyelectrolyte, characterized by a screened Coulomb pair potential. The corresponding field theory can be recast in a particularly simple form, corresponding to a quantum-mechanical particle, self-interacting via the emission and absorption of a massive scalar field.
This is particularly useful in a perturbative treatment: perturbative expansions for the polyelectrolyte can be simply derived from the loop expansion for the related field-theoretical two-point function, for which established computational methods exist.
Important references added, and corresponding changes done. LaTeX file (using REVTeX), and two PostScript figures included with psfig
Important references added, and corresponding changes done. LaTeX file (using REVTeX), and two PostScript figures included with psfig