ABSTRACT
A review of the dynamics of giant fluid vesicles in various types of external hydrodynamic flow, with emphasis on the recent experimental progress, is presented. Interplay between stresses arising from membrane elasticity, hydrodynamic flows, and thermal noise leads to a rich behavior. When thermal fluctuations play a minor role in the vesicle dynamics, it is well described by theoretical and numerical models, whereas, e. g. in a transition regime, where the thermal fluctuations play a major role, they are amplified and lead to strong shape deformations, in contrast to all known deterministic models. In suspensions, hydrodynamic interactions between vesicles and thermal noise challenge to deduce rheological properties from the dynamics of individual vesicles.
