THE PERSISTENCE LENGTH IN A RANDOM SURFACE MODEL

Randomly triangulated, self-avoiding surfaces with topology of a spher e have been studied by use of Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Flexi ble surfaces with small bending elasticity moduli kappa are considered . Analysis of surface characteristics like volume, enthalpy and radius of gyration support that self-avoiding, fluid surfaces display proper ties of branched polymers at length scales larger than some persistenc e length xi(p)(kappa). The simulation data can be rationalized in term s of simple phenomenological scaling relations and mean-field theory. Estimates of xi(p)(kappa) up to a multiplicative factor are given.