Incollection,
Fluctuations of coupled fluid and solid membranes: red blood cells
Abstract Book of the XXIII IUPAP International Conference on Statistical Physics, Genova, Italy, (9-13 July 2007)
Abstract
The fluctuation spectra and the intermembrane interaction of a fluid and a solid membrane at fixed average distance are investigated theoretically. The membranes interact via their excluded volume interaction; the average distance is maintained by an external, homogeneous pressure. At small wavevectors, the fluctuations are strongly coupled and can be described by a single, effective membrane that combines the elastic properties of both membranes. For weak coupling, at large wavevectors, the fluctuations of the individual, non-interacting membranes are recovered. The system behaves like a fluid membrane next to a hard wall for large average intermembrane spacings and like a solid membrane next to a hard wall for small average spacings. Our model can serve as a microscopic model for plasma membrane and cytoskeleton of the red blood cell. We fit and interpret experimental fluctuation data.
