Statistical mechanics of self-avoiding tethered membranes in the dense phase using collective coordinates

We propose a theory for the statistical mechanics of a great many large, self-avoiding tethered membranes in the dense, concentrated, volume-filling and therefore near homogeneous phase. We also give the theoretically expected small-angle scattering spectrum for such a collection of membranes, and furthermore show that self-avoidance becomes effectively screened for tethered membranes in the dense phase. A quantitative discussion of when the theoretical approach outlined in this work remains applicable is also presented, as well as a brief discussion of the likely role of membrane curvature effects. The results obtained in this work are likely to be of relevance for possibly novel dense phases of both physical and biological membranes.