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Fluctuating Membranes with Tilt Order
Thermal fluctuations are important for amphiphilic bilayer membranes since
typical bending stiffnesses can be a few . The rod-like constituent
molecules are generically tilted with respect to the local normal for packing
reasons. We study the effects of fluctuations on membranes with nematic order,
a simplified idealization with the same novel features as realistic tilt order.
We find that nematic membranes lie in the same universality class as hexatic
membranes, {\it i.e.} the couplings that distinguish nematic from hexatic order
are marginally irrelevant. Our calculation also illustrates the advantages of
conformal gauge, which brings great conceptual and technical simplifications
compared to the more popular Monge gauge.Comment: 13 pages; print this using plain Te
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