Thermodynamic properties of α-helix protein: A soliton approach

This paper presents a discussion of thermodynamic properties of α-helix protein from the point of view of the statistical mechanics of a soliton on a one-dimensional chain. We prove that the Davydov solitons can satisfy the equation of motion of a ${\mathrm{\phi }}^4$ chain. We calculate the critical temperature and coefficient of linear specific heat of an α-helix protein and the results suggest Davydov solitons may indeed be biologically relevant.