Eur. Phys. J. B 45, 377-383 (2005)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2005-00189-0

Grand canonical simulations of string tension in elastic surface model

Department of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Ibaraki College of Technology, Nakane 866, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki 312-8508, Japan

Corresponding author: ^a koibuchi@mech.ibaraki-ct.ac.jp

Received: 18 November 2004
Revised: 15 March 2005
Published online: 6 July 2005

Abstract

We report a numerical evidence that the string tension σ can be viewed as an order parameter of the phase transition, which separates the smooth phase from the crumpled one, in the fluid surface model of Helfrich and Polyakov-Kleinert. The model is defined on spherical surfaces with two fixed vertices of distance L. The string tension σ is calculated by regarding the surface as a string connecting the two points. We find that the phase transition strengthens as L is increased, and that σ vanishes in the crumpled phase and non-vanishes in the smooth phase.