SHAPE FLUCTUATIONS OF A DROPLET CONTAINING A POLYMER

We consider the problem of an ideal polymer confined in a droplet. Whe n the droplet radius is smaller than the (unconfined) polymer radius o f gyration, the polymer entropy will depend on the droplet shape. We c ompute the resulting surface free energy. Using parameters appropriate for polymers confined in microemulsions, we find that the polymer and bending surface energies are comparable for the lowest modes. Finally , we argue that chain self-avoidance will decrease the strength of the polymer contribution to the surface energy.