Efficient generation of self-avoiding, semiflexible rotational isomeric chain ensembles in bulk, in confined geometries, and on surfaces

We provide an efficient ready-to-run code gensaw that generates single or large ensembles of self-avoiding, flexible, semiflexible, rotationally isometric or helical chains in the bulk or subject to arbitrary confinement and tethering conditions, where we allow for arbitrary intramolecular bending and dihedral energy functions. The resulting configuration files are provided in various common formats and can be immediately used to do molecular simulations or statistical analysis. We work out analytic expressions for the mean squared end-to-end distance and gyration radius of the semiflexible, helical and rotational isomeric state models with a finite number of bonds and arbitrary interaction potentials for direct comparison and testing of the code in the limiting case of unconfined phantom chains. In addition to the graphics-free linux standalone batch version gensaw that creates configuration and other files for high throughput applications from the command line, we provide an interactive online version gensaw-visualization that serves as platform-independent graphical user interface, and animates the resulting conformations using a remote gensaw server.