title: Vesicle dynamics in uniform electric fields: squaring and breathing.
abstract: We computationally investigate the dynamics of a vesicle exposed to uniform DC or AC electric fields. We employ the two-dimensional boundary integral method in order to simulate vesicle deformation under experimental conditions where peculiar drum-like ("squared") shapes have been observed. The vesicle membrane is modeled as an infinitely thin, capacitive, area-incompressible interface, with the surrounding fluids acting as leaky dielectrics. Our simulations capture the "squaring" phenomenon, in which vesicles deform into rectangular profiles with corner-like regions of high curvature, as vesicles undergo dynamic transitions between oblate and prolate ellipsoidal shapes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Math and Statistics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. lmcconne@math.unm.edu.
authors.forename: Lane C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: McConnell
authors.forename: Petia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Vlahovska
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Miksis
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008962:Models, Theoretical
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes