Niels Bohr Institute and NORDITA, Blegdamsvej 17, 2100, Copenhagen ?, Denmark
Abstract:
We argue that the first order hot and cold folding transitions of proteins observed at physiological chemical conditions ends in a critical point at a given temperature and chemical potential of the surrounding water. We investigate the properties of this critical point using a single-pathway scenario for the folding process. This pathway assumption determines the form of a Hamiltonian whose critical properties define a new universality class. Received 9 November 1998