We derive and analyse an energy to model lipid raft formation on biological membranes involving a coupling between the local mean curvature and the local composition. We apply a perturbation method recently introduced by Fritz, Hobbs and the first author to describe the geometry of the surface as a graph over an undeformed Helfrich energy minimising surface. The result is a surface Cahn–Hilliard functional coupled with a small deformation energy. We show that suitable minimisers of this energy exist and consider a gradient flow with conserved Allen–Cahn dynamics, for which existence and uniqueness results are proven. Finally, numerical simulations show that for the long-time behaviour raft-like structures can emerge and stabilise, and their parameter dependence is further explored.
We consider sharp interface asymptotics for a phase field model motivated by lipid raft formation on near spherical biomembranes involving a coupling between the local mean curvature and the local composition. A reduced diffuse interface energy depending only on the membrane composition is introduced and a -limit is derived. It is shown that the Euler-Lagrange equations for the limiting functional and the sharp interface energy coincide. Finally, we consider a system of gradient flow equations with conserved Allen-Cahn dynamics for the phase field model. Performing a formal asymptotic analysis, we obtain a system of gradient flow equations for the sharp interface energy coupling geodesic curvature flow for the phase interface to a fourth order PDE free boundary problem for the surface deformation.
We consider sharp interface asymptotics for a phase field model of two phase near spherical biomembranes involving a coupling between the local mean curvature and the local composition proposed by the first and second authors. The model is motivated by lipid raft formation. We introduce a reduced diffuse interface energy depending only on the membrane composition and derive the Γ−limit. We demonstrate that the Euler-Lagrange equations for the limiting functional and the sharp interface energy coincide. Finally, we consider a system of gradient flow equations with conserved Allen-Cahn dynamics for the phase field model. Performing a formal asymptotic analysis we obtain a system of gradient flow equations for the sharp interface energy coupling geodesic curvature flow for the phase interface to a fourth order PDE free boundary problem for the surface deformation.
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