Swinging and tumbling of fluid vesicles in shear flow

The dynamics of fluid vesicles in simple shear flow is studied using mesoscale simulations of dynamically triangulated surfaces, as well as a theoretical approach based on two variables: a shape parameter and the inclination angle, which has no adjustable parameters. We show that, between the well-known tank-treading and tumbling states, a new swinging state can appear. We predict the dynamic phase diagram as a function of the shear rate, the viscosities of the membrane and the internal fluid, and the reduced vesicle volume. Our results agree well with recent experiments.