Shape Transformations of Vesicles Induced by Swim Pressure

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Soft Matter Physics
• Active Matter Systems

Background:

• Vesicle behavior in thermodynamic equilibrium is well-understood.
• The influence of active forces on vesicle shape dynamics remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the shape behavior of vesicles containing active Brownian particles.
• To elucidate the role of active forces, dimensionality, and membrane bending free energy in vesicle shape transformations.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical modeling.
• Computational simulations of vesicles with active Brownian particles.

Main Results:

• Active forces, dimensionality, and membrane bending free energy induce novel phase transitions.
• At low swim pressure, a discontinuous spherical-to-prolate shape transition occurs, unique to three dimensions.
• At high swim pressure, vesicles exhibit stochastic spatiotemporal oscillations.

Conclusions:

• This research provides fundamental insights into the control of membrane shape dynamics in active-matter systems.
• The findings offer a framework for understanding and manipulating vesicle shape in biological and synthetic active systems.