Shape transformation of free, toroidal and bound vesicles

Abstract

Shapes and shape transformations of vesicles are considered theoretically within the spontaneous curvature model for three cases. (i) For free vesicles, the whole phase diagram is presented which includes pear-shaped vesicles and a line of limit shapes related to budding. (ii) For toroidal vesicles, three branches of solutions with low energy are found. (iii) An extension of this model to the adhesion of vesicles is briefly discussed.