High-precision estimate of the hydrodynamic radius for self-avoiding walks

The universal asymptotic amplitude ratio between the gyration radius and the hydrodynamic radius of self-avoiding walks is estimated by high-resolution Monte Carlo simulations. By studying chains of length of up to N = 2(25) approximate to 34 x 10(6) monomers, we find that the ratio takes the value R-G/R-H = 1.5803940(45), which is several orders of magnitude more accurate than the previous state of the art. This is facilitated by a sampling scheme which is quite general and which allows for the efficient estimation of averages of a large class of observables. The competing corrections to scaling for the hydrodynamic radius are clearly discernible. We also find improved estimates for other universal properties that measure the chain dimension. In particular, a method of analysis which eliminates the leading correction to scaling results in a highly accurate estimate for the Flory exponent of nu = 0.58759700(40).