2017/06/28 by Guillaume Gueguen, Gueguen, Guillaume, Nicolas Destainville +3
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior #Micro and Nano Robotics #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) #Theoretical and Computational Physics
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1706.09476
openalex publication_date 2017/06/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
It has been known for long that the fluctuation surface tension of membranes r, computed from the height fluctuation spectrum, is not equal to the bare surface tension σ introduced in the Helfrich theory. In this work we relate these two surface tensions both analytically and numerically and compare them to the Laplace tension γ, and the mechanical frame tension τ. Using one-loop renormalisation calculations, we obtain, in addition to the effective bending modulus κ\rm eff, a new expression for the effective surface tension σ\rm eff=σ- εk\rm BT/(2ap) where ap the projected cut-off area, and ε=3 or 1 according to the allowed configurations. Moreover we show that the crumpling transition for an infinite planar membrane occurs for σ\rm eff=0, and also that it coincides with vanishing Laplace and frame tensions. Using extensive Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, triangulated membranes of vesicles made of N=100-2500 vertices are simulated. No local constraint is applied. It is shown that the numerical r is equal to σ\rm eff both with radial MC moves (ε=3) and with corrected MC moves locally normal to the fluctuating membrane (ε=1). For finite vesicles of typical size R, two different regimes are defined: a tension regime for σ\rm eff=σ\rm effR2/κ\rm eff>0 and a bending one for -1