Propagation and relaxation of tension in stiff polymers

We present a unified theory for the longitudinal dynamic response
of a stiff polymer in solution to various external perturbations
(mechanical excitations, hydrodynamic flows, electrical fields,
temperature quenches, etc.) that can be represented as sudden
changes of ambient/boundary conditions. The theory relies on a
comprehensive analysis of the nonequilibrium propagation and
relaxation of backbone stresses in a wormlike chain. We recover and
substantially extend previous results based on heuristic arguments.
New experimental implications are pointed out.