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arXiv · 2511.14078

A Phase-Field Model for Vesicle Membranes Incorporating Area-Difference Elasticity

Yihong Liang·Emine Celiker·Ping Lin
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Abstract

This paper presents a phase-field model for simulating the three-dimensional deformation of vesicle membranes, incorporating area-difference elasticity, with constraints on bulk volume and surface area. We develop efficient numerical schemes based on the Fourier-spectral method for spatial discretization and temporal evolution. The model successfully captures a wide variety of steady-state vesicle shapes. The numerical experiments demonstrate that by tuning the simulation parameters, the vesicle can transition from a simple discocyte shape to a complex, multi-armed starfish-like and nested configuration. These results highlight the crucial role of area-difference elasticity in determining vesicle morphology.

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Yihong Liang, Emine Celiker, Ping Lin. 2025-11-18. A Phase-Field Model for Vesicle Membranes Incorporating Area-Difference Elasticity. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.14078

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