Direct measurement of the intermolecular forces confining a single molecule in an entangled polymer solution.

We use optical tweezers to directly measure the intermolecular forces acting on a single polymer imposed by surrounding entangled polymers (115 kbp DNA, 1 mg/ml). A tubelike confining field was measured in accord with the key assumption of reptation models. A time-dependent harmonic potential opposed transverse displacement, in accord with recent simulation findings. A tube radius of 0.8 microm was determined, close to the predicted value (0.5 microm). Three relaxation modes (approximately 0.4, 5, and 34 s) were measured following transverse displacement, consistent with predicted relaxation mechanisms.