DISTRIBUTION OF DISTANCES BETWEEN UNITS IN 2-DIMENSIONAL EXCLUDED-VOLUME CHAINS

The distribution of distances between different pairs of units in a tw o-dimensional linear flexible polymer chain with net repulsive interac tions between units (i.e., in the excluded-volume regime) is investiga ted through an off-lattice Monte Carlo method. Three different cases, according to the position of the pair components (end or interior unit s), are studied. The results are in excellent agreement with theoretic al predictions generated by Coulomb gas techniques and conformal invar iance methods. Some of these results, however, differ clearly from the values obtained in previous simulations or from those predicted by ep silon expansion formulas based on the renormalization group theory.