Abstract
The driven transport of fluid vesicles through narrow, cylindrical pores in a linear external potential is studied using Monte Carlo simulations, scaling arguments, and mean-field theory. The mobility of the vesicles increases sharply when the strength f of the driving field exceeds a threshold value . For f>, the mobility saturates at a value that is essentially independent of the strength of the driving field. The threshold field strength is found to scale with the membrane bending rigidity κ, the vesicle area , and the pore size as /T∼ (κ/T. An analysis of the zero-temperature limit yields the exponents β=0 and η=1.55, while the Monte Carlo simulations of low-bending-rigidity vesicles are well described by the (effective) exponents β≃0.2 and η≃2.4.
- Received 26 May 1995
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.52.4198
©1995 American Physical Society