  We use large scale Monte Carlo simulations to test scaling theories for the
electrostatic persistence length $l_e$ of isolated, uniformly charged polymers
with \DH intrachain interactions in the limit where the screening length
$\kappa^{-1}$ exceeds the intrinsic persistence length of the chains. Our
simulations cover a significantly larger part of the parameter space than
previous studies. We observe no significant deviations from the prediction
$l_e\propto\kappa^{-2}$ by Khokhlov and Khachaturian which is based on applying
the Odijk-Skolnick-Fixman theory to the stretched de
Gennes-Pincus-Velasco-Brochard polyelectrolyte blob chain. A linear or
sublinear dependence of the persistence length on the screening length can be
ruled out. We argue that previous numerical results pointing into this
direction are probably due to a combination of excluded volume and finite chain
length effects. The paper emphasizes the role of scaling arguments in the
development of useful representations for experimental and simulation data.
