Department of Physics Papers
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
12-1996
Publication Source
Physical Review Letters
Volume
77
Issue
26
Start Page
5237
Last Page
5240
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.5237
Abstract
Lipid bilayer membranes below their main transition have two tilt order parameters, corresponding to the two monolayers. These two tilts may be strongly coupled to membrane shape but only weakly coupled to each other.We discuss some implications of this observation for rippled and saddle phases, spontaneous breaking bilayer tubules, and bicontinuous phases. Tilt difference introduces a lengthscale into the elastic theory of tilted fluid membranes. It can drive an instability of the flat phase; it also provides a simple spontaneous breaking of inversion symmetry seen in some recent experiments.
Recommended Citation
Seifert, U., Shillcock, J., & Nelson, P. C. (1996). Role of Bilayer Tilt Difference in Equlibrium Membrane Shapes. Physical Review Letters, 77 (26), 5237-5240. http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.5237
Date Posted: 01 May 2017
This document has been peer reviewed.