Surface Tension, Pressure Difference and Laplace Formula for Membranes

[摘要] The surface tension γ and the pressure difference Δp for spherical membranes are calculated using Monte Carlo simulation technique. We study the so-called tethered and uid surface discrete models that are defined on the fixed-connectivity (tethered) and dynamically triangulated (uid) lattices respectively. Hamiltonians of the models include a self-avoiding potential, which makes the enclosed volume well defined. We find that there is reasonable accuracy in the technique for the calculation of γ using the real area A if the bending rigidity κ or A/N is sufficiently large. We also find that γ becomes constant in the limit of A/N both in the tethered and uid surfaces. The property limA/N γ = const corresponds to certain experimental results in cell biology.

[发布机构] Department of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College, Nakane 866, Ibaraki, Hitachinaka; 312-8508, Japan^1;Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory, Moscow; 119991, Russia^2

[效力级别] 数学

[关键词] Bending rigidity;Cell biology;Discrete models;Laplace pressure;Monte carlo simulation technique;Pressure differences;Reasonable accuracy;Triangulated surfaces