Strain Waves Generate Compression and Trigger Buckling in Active Polymers

Wen-de Tian; Kang Chen; Tianhui Zhang

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arXiv · 2610.30749

Strain Waves Generate Compression and Trigger Buckling in Active Polymers

Wen-de Tian·Kang Chen·Tianhui Zhang

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Abstract

Chemical reactions can sustain polymer motion without necessarily generating the compression required for buckling. Theory and simulations show that tension-dependent chemical transitions coupled to bond elasticity generate finite-wavelength traveling strain waves in a semiflexible polymer. In the straight chain at fixed axial span, the waves reduce mean active contraction while leaving mean elastic tension unchanged, generating compression that drives bending above a threshold. Releasing the mean load allows longitudinal waves to persist while transverse perturbations decay.

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Wen-de Tian, Kang Chen, Tianhui Zhang. 2026-10-22. Strain Waves Generate Compression and Trigger Buckling in Active Polymers. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.30749

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