Tension dynamics and viscoelasticity of extensible wormlike chains

The dynamic response of prestressed semiflexible biopolymers is
characterized by the propagation and relaxation of tension, which
arises due to the near inextensibility of a stiff backbone. It is
coupled to the dynamics of contour length stored in thermal
undulations but also to the local relaxation of elongational
strain. We present a systematic theory of tension dynamics for
stiff yet extensible wormlike chains. Our results show that even
moderate prestress gives rise to distinct Rouse-like extensibility
signatures in the high-frequency viscoelastic response.