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arXiv · cond-mat/9610069

The Role of Bilayer Tilt Difference in Equilibrium Membrane Shapes

Udo Seifert·Julian Shillcock·Philip Nelson
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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, bilayer tubules, and bicontinuous phases. Tilt difference introduces a length scale into the elastic theory of tilted fluid membranes. It can drive an instability of the flat phase; it also provides a simple mechanism for the spontaneous breaking of inversion symmetry seen in some recent experiments.

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Udo Seifert, Julian Shillcock, Philip Nelson. 1996-10-08. The Role of Bilayer Tilt Difference in Equilibrium Membrane Shapes. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.77.5237

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