--- trunk/ripplePaper/ripple.tex 2005/03/28 21:36:59 2143 +++ trunk/ripplePaper/ripple.tex 2005/05/31 20:43:32 2254 @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ \begin{document} -\title{Ripple Phase of the Lipid Bilayers: A Monte Carlo Simulation} +\title{Symmetry breaking and the Ripple phase} \author{Xiuquan Sun and J. Daniel Gezelter\footnote{Corresponding author. Email: gezelter@nd.edu} \\ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry \\ University of Notre Dame \\ @@ -29,20 +29,27 @@ The molecular explanation for the origin and propertie \maketitle \begin{abstract} -The molecular explanation for the origin and properties of the ripple -phase is addressed in this paper. A model which contains the surface -tension and dipole-dipole interactions is used to describe the -potential for a monolayer of simple point dipoles. The simulations are -carried out using Monte Carlo method. It is shown asymmetry of the -translational freedom of the dipoles breaks the symmetry of the -hexagonal lattice and allow antiferroelectric ordering of the -dipoles. The existence of the ripples only depends on the dipolar -property of the system. The structure of the ripples is affected by -surface tension. Only close to the hexagonal lattice, can the ripple -phase be reached. Surface has the lowest transition temperature on -hexagonal lattice elucidates the reason of the existence of the ripple -phase in organism. A mechanism for the phase transition of the lipid -bilayer is proposed. +The ripple phase in phosphatidylcholine (PC) bilayers has never been +explained. Our group has developed some simple (XYZ) spin-lattice +models that allow spins to vary their elevation as well as their +orientation. The extra degree of freedom allows hexagonal lattices of +spins to find states that break out of the normally frustrated +randomized states and are stabilized by long-range anti-ferroelectric +ordering. To break out of the frustrated states, the spins must form +``rippled'' phases that make the lattices effectively non-hexagonal. Our +XYZ models contain surface tension and dipole-dipole interactions to +describe the interaction potential for monolayers and bilayers of +model lipid molecules. The existence of the ripples depends primarily +on the strength and lattice spacing of the dipoles, while the shape +(wavelength and amplitude) of the ripples is only weakly sensitive to +the applied surface tension. Additionally, the wave vector for the +ripple is always perpendicular to the director axis for the +dipoles. Non-hexagonal lattices of dipoles are not inherently +frustrated, and are therefore less likely to form ripple phases +because they can easily form low-energy anti-ferroelectric states. +Indeed, we see that the dipolar order-disorder transition is +substantially lower for hexagonal lattices and the ordered phase for +this lattice is clearly rippled. \end{abstract} \section{Introduction}