Rigidity and stability of spheres in the Helfrich model

DOI10.4171/IFB/390zbMATH Open1383.74017arXiv1412.3533MaRDI QIDQ1708573FDOQ1708573

Glen Wheeler, Valentina-Mira Wheeler, Yann Bernard

Publication date: 23 March 2018

Published in: Interfaces and Free Boundaries (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: The Helfrich functional, denoted by H^{c_0}, is a mathematical expression proposed by Helfrich (1973) for the natural free energy carried by an elastic phospholipid bilayer. Helfrich theorises that idealised elastic phospholipid bilayers minimise H^{c_0} among all possible configurations. The functional integrates a spontaneous curvature parameter c_0 together with the mean curvature of the bilayer and constraints on area and volume, either through an inclusion of osmotic pressure difference and tensile stress or otherwise. Using the mathematical concept of embedded orientable surface to represent the configuration of the bilayer, one might expect to be able to adapt methods from differential geometry and the calculus of variations to perform a fine analysis of bilayer configurations in terms of the parameters that it depends upon. In this article we focus upon the case of spherical red blood cells with a view to better understanding spherocytes and spherocytosis. We provide a complete classification of spherical solutions in terms of the parameters in the Helfrich model. We additionally present some further analysis on the rigidity and stability of spherocytes.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1412.3533

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zbMATH Keywords

biomembranesdifferential geometryHelfrich modelspherocytosis

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

PDEs in connection with mechanics of deformable solids (35Q74) Fluid-solid interactions (including aero- and hydro-elasticity, porosity, etc.) (74F10) Large-strain, rate-independent theories of plasticity (including nonlinear plasticity) (74C15) Membranes (74K15)

Cited In (13)

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• Existence and regularity of spheres minimising the Canham-Helfrich energy
• Rigid spherical inclusion: The multipole expansion
• Bifurcating critical points of bending energy under constraints related to the shape of red blood cells.
• A rigidity theorem for ideal surfaces with flat boundary
• Bifurcation phenomena in the rigid inclusion power law matrix composite sphere.
• A Helfrich functional for compact surfaces in
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• The enriched stable core and the relative rigidity of HOD
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• Boundary value problems for a special Helfrich functional for surfaces of revolution: existence and asymptotic behaviour

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