Anomalous dynamics of unbiased polymer translocation through a narrow pore

We consider a polymer of length N translocating through a narrow pore in the absence of external fields. The characterization of its purportedly anomalous dynamics has so far remained incomplete. We show that the polymer dynamics is anomalous up to the Rouse time τ R ∼ N 1+2ν , with a mean square displacement through the pore consistent with t (1+ν)/(1+2ν) , with ν≈0.588 the Flory exponent. This is shown to be directly related to a decay over time of the excess monomer density near the pore as t −(1+ν)/(1+2ν) exp(− t /τ R ). Beyond the Rouse time, translocation becomes diffusive. In consequence of this, the dwell time τ d , the time a translocating polymer typically spends within the pore, scales as N 2+ν , in contrast to previous claims.