SIMULATION OF POLYMERS WITH REBOUND SELECTION

A crossover from dilute to semidilute regimes of lattice chains has be en simulated with the help of a novel method. A Monte Carlo step tries to replace an existing chain by a new chain constructed in biased, ex cluded volume avoiding steps. Reserve bifurcations are allocated at sm all intervals of steps and after each interval a selective lottery res tores an effectively nonbiased probability distribution. If a construc tion fails the selection at an nth step, it falls back to n - 1, n - 2 , until it ''rebounds'' from an unutilized bifurcation. Selection on t he go combined with a freedom to rebound, make the construction self-c orrective; the principle may have a broad applicability. (C) 1998 Amer ican Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(98)50537-5]