Abstract
We consider a curved chain of nonlinear oscillators and show that the interplay of curvature and nonlinearity leads to a symmetry breaking when an asymmetric stationary state becomes energetically more favorable than a symmetric stationary state. We show that the energy of localized states decreases with increasing curvature, i.e., bending is a trap for nonlinear excitations. A violation of the Vakhitov-Kolokolov stability criterion is found in the case where the instability is due to the softening of the Peierls internal mode.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Physical Review E. Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics |
Volume | 62 |
Issue number | 1 |
Pages (from-to) | R53-R56 |
ISSN | 1063-651X |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2000 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright (2000) American Physical SocietyKeywords
- STATES
- CARBON
- MICROTUBULES
- LONG-RANGE
- INSTABILITY
- POLYMERS
- DISCRETE
- ENERGY
- DNA
- SOLITON