To what spatial extent does a single lipid affect the mechanical properties of the membrane
that surrounds it? The lipid composition of a membrane determines its mechanical …

We investigate the Poisson ratio ν of fluid lipid bilayers, ie, the question how area strains
compare to the changes in membrane thickness (or, equivalently, volume) that accompany …

The bending modulus of a lipid bilayer quantifies its mechanical resistance to curvature. It is
typically understood in terms of thickness; eg, thicker bilayers are usually stiffer. Here, we …

Lipid bilayer membranes under biologically relevant conditions are flexible thin laterally fluid
films consisting of two unimolecular layers (monolayers) each about 2 nm thick. On spatial …

Each leaflet of a curved lipid membrane contains a surface at which the area strain
vanishes, the so-called pivotal plane. Its distance z 0 from the bilayer's midplane arises in …

Accumulating evidence indicates that membrane reshaping and fusion processes, as well
as regulation of membrane protein function, depend on lipid composition. Although it is …

The elastic and viscous properties of biological membranes play a vital role in controlling
cell functions that require local reorganization of the membrane components as well as …

The Gaussian curvature modulus κ¯ of lipid bilayers likely contributes more than 100
kcal/mol to every cellular fission or fusion event. This huge impact on membrane remodeling …

Membrane reshaping is an essential biological process. The chemical composition of lipid
membranes determines their mechanical properties and thus the energetics of their shape …

The tilt of a lipid molecule describes the deviation of its orientation away from the local
normal of its embedding membrane. Tilt is the subleading degree of freedom after a …