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Henrik Jönsson
Visiting professor
![Photo of Henrik Jönsson](/sites/cec.lu.se/files/styles/lu_personal_page_desktop/public/2023-01/Henrik%20J%C3%B6nsson.jpg.webp?itok=3yYpZ3dw)
Mean-field theory approach to three-dimensional nematic phase transitions in microtubules
Author
Summary, in English
Microtubules are dynamic intracellular fibers that have been observed experimentally to undergo spontaneous self-alignment. We formulate a three-dimensional (3D) mean-field theory model to analyze the nematic phase transition of microtubules growing and interacting within a 3D space, then make a comparison with computational simulations. We identify a control parameter Geff and predict a unique critical value Geff=1.56 for which a phase transition can occur. Furthermore, we show both analytically and using simulations that this predicted critical value does not depend on the presence of zippering. The mean-field theory developed here provides an analytical estimate of microtubule patterning characteristics without running time-consuming simulations and is a step towards bridging scales from microtubule behavior to multicellular simulations.
Department/s
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
Publishing year
2023
Language
English
Publication/Series
Physical Review E
Volume
108
Issue
6
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
American Physical Society
Topic
- Biophysics
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 2470-0045