Shapes of closed fluid membranes such as those formed by lecithin in water were calculated as a function of enclosed volume, membrane area and spontaneous curvature. As the area can be taken to be constant, the only elasticity controlling the shapes of these vesicles is that of curvature. A large variety of rotationally symmetric shapes are presented, allowing for indentations, cavities and contact of the membrane with itself
Assuming that the shape of red blood cells is controlled by the curvature elasticity of the surrounding membrane, we fit theoretical shapes to the contours Evans and co-workers determined by interference microscopy. Very good agreement is obtained for disc shapes. The fit is not so good for less common shapes, which may result from Evans' parametric representation and from the interference of shear elasticity.
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