Bending-Stiffness Dependent Generic Structural Transitions of Helical Polymers

We investigate the impact of competing bending and torsion effects upon the formation of structural phases for helical polymers. For this purpose, parallel-tempering replica- exchange simulations of a coarse-grained polymer model were performed and thermodynamic response quantities analyzed. Extremal energetic and structural fluctuations are used as indicators of significant phase changes. A systematic analysis of the phase structure supports earlier results suggesting the relevance of strong bending stiffness for the stabilization of helical phases. In addition, we find a novel phase at intermediate values of the bending stiffness that provides insight into the process of helix-bundle formation.