title: Monte Carlo simulations of branched polymer surfaces without bending elasticity.
abstract: We study a model of elastic surfaces that was first constructed by Baillie et al. for an interpolation between the models of fluid and crystalline membranes. The Hamiltonian of the model is a linear combination of the Gaussian energy and a squared scalar curvature energy. These energy terms are discretized on dynamically triangulated surfaces that are allowed to self-intersect. We confirm that the model has not only crumpled phases but also a branched polymer phase, and find that the model undergoes a first-order phase transition between the branched polymer phase and one of the crumpled phases. We find also that the model undergoes a second- (or higher-) order phase transition between the branched polymer phase and another crumpled phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ibaraki College of Technology, Nakane 866 Hitachnaka, Ibaraki 312-8508, Japan. koibuchi@mech.ibaraki-ct.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koibuchi
authors.forename: Atsusi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nidaira
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Komei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D016011:Normal Distribution; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers