Freely relaxing polymers remember how they were straightened

The relaxation of initially straight semiflexible polymers has been
discussed mainly with respect to the longest relaxation time. The
biologically relevant nonequilibrium dynamics on shorter times is
comparatively poorly understood, partly because "initially
straight" can be realized in manifold ways. Combining Brownian
dynamics simulations and systematic theory, we demonstrate how
different experimental preparations give rise to specific
short-time and universal long-time dynamics. We also discuss
boundary effects and the onset of the stretch-coil transition.