ABSTRACT
The equilibrium and non-equilibrium behavior of giant vesicles has been studied extensively in theory and simulations. Vesicles display rich dynamics in external fields: multiple dynamical states in shear flow (tank-treading, tumbling, trembling, swinging, squaring, parity-breaking), asymmetric slipper-like shapes in Poiseuille flow, pearling and asymmetric dumbbell shapes in straining flows or uniform electric fields, drum-like “squared” shapes in DC electric pulses. This chapter will provide a tutorial into the analytical modeling of the non-equilibrium dynamics of giant vesicles. Solutions for the deformation and motion of a nearly spherical vesicle are derived, which illustrate the use of a formalism based on spherical harmonics. The results are applied to the analysis of vesicle dynamics in linear flows and vesicle response to electric pulses.
