RNA Folding and Large N Matrix Theory

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We formulate the RNA folding problem as an N× N matrix field theory. This matrix formalism allows us to give a systematic classification of the terms in the partition function according to their topological character. The theory is set up in such a way that the limit N→ ∞ yields the so-called secondary structure (Hartree theory). Tertiary structure and pseudo-knots are obtained by calculating the 1/N² corrections to the partition function. We propose a generalization of the Hartree recursion relation to generate the tertiary structure.