A combined numerical and analytic investigation of the solution properties of conjugated polymers will be carried out. The focus will be on the interplay between conformational and electronic degrees of freedom. The model is based on the Huckel theory for the pi electrons with explicit dependence of the resonance integrals on bond rotation angles. It is planned to carry out exact diagonalizations of the electronic Hamiltonian, including the statistical freedom in the rotation angles, using Monte Carlo methods. Subsequent studies will include side-group interactions, elastic energies, and Coulomb correlations as well as external fields (electric and hydrodynamic). The numerical studies will be augmented by various analytic methods for limiting cases; these include high-temperature expansions, RG calculations, boson representations, etc. A goal is to confront such experimental quantities as optical absorption, frequency dependent dielectric function, neutron and light scattering structure factors, and viscoelastic properties.//
