Predicting far-from-equilibrium vesicle shape dynamics

Develop a quantitative predictive theory for the time evolution of lipid-bilayer vesicle shapes under far-from-equilibrium conditions, so that the dynamics can be reliably connected to nonequilibrium driving forces and growth processes.

Background

The paper investigates the growth and morphological dynamics of model protocells (vesicles) driven by excess chemical potential and osmotic pressure, revealing a transition from quasispherical to wrinkled shapes as nonequilibrium driving increases. While effective equilibrium descriptions with renormalized parameters capture aspects of the behavior, predicting the actual time-dependent shape dynamics in strongly driven regimes remains challenging.

Existing linear irreversible thermodynamics frameworks provide constitutive relations but involve complex tensorial structures and many couplings, and their applicability far from equilibrium is uncertain. The authors therefore emphasize the need for a tractable, quantitative theory to predict vesicle shape evolution under strong nonequilibrium driving.