Modeling the Spontaneous Curvature Effects in Static Cell Membrane Deformations by a Phase Field Formulation

Abstract. In this paper, we study the effects of the spontaneous curvature on the static deformation of a vesicle membrane under the elastic bending en-ergy, with prescribed bulk volume and surface area. Generalizing the phase field models developed in our previous works, we deduce a new energy formula involving the spontaneous curvature effects. Several axis-symmetric configura-tions are obtained through numerical simulations. Some analysis on the effects of the spontaneous curvature on the vesicle membrane shapes are also provided. 1. Introduction. Thi