Renormalization group analysis of polymer cyclization with non-equilibrium initial conditions

We develop a renormalization group approach for cyclizing polymers for the case when chain ends are initially close together (ring initial conditions). We analyze the behavior at times much shorter than the longest polymer relaxation time. In agreement with our previous work (Europhys. Lett. 73, 621 (2006)) we find that the leading time dependence of the reaction rate k(t) for ring initial conditions and equilibrium initial conditions are related, namely k ring(t) ∝ t -δ and k eq(t) ∝ t 1-δ for times less than the longest polymer relaxation time. Here δ is an effective exponent which approaches δ = 5/4 for very long Rouse chains. Our present analysis also suggests a “sub-leading” term proportional to (ln t)/t which should be particularly significant for smaller values of the renormalized reaction rate and early times. For Zimm dynamics, our RG analysis indicates that the leading time dependence for the reaction rate is k(t) ∼ 1/t for very long chains. The leading term is again consistent with the expected relation between ring and equilibrium initial conditions. We also find a logarithmic correction term which we “exponentiate” to a logarithmic form with a Landau pole. The presence of the logarithm is particularly important for smaller chains and, in the Zimm case, large values of the reaction rate.