Parameter degeneracy in the vertex model for tissues

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Godolphim, Paulo C., Brunnet, Leonardo G., Soto, Rodrigo
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Godolphim, Paulo C.
Brunnet, Leonardo G.
Soto, Rodrigo
author_facet Godolphim, Paulo C.
Brunnet, Leonardo G.
Soto, Rodrigo
contents The vertex model with homogeneous cell properties is known to exhibit a parameter degeneracy in which the system's dynamics is independent of the target area. Here, we show, for the heterogeneous vertex model where cells differ in size and stiffness, that degeneracy is also present with the average product of target areas and stiffness becoming dynamically irrelevant. Fixing this quantity is equivalent to fixing the global internal tissue pressure. Unless properly treated, this degeneracy undermines the physical relevance of key observables' numerical values, such as cell target shape index, cell pressure, and cell stress tensor. We present methods to resolve the degeneracy and to correctly set the gauge pressure via symmetry transformations applied to the cells' target areas. We further demonstrate that the degeneracy is removed under certain boundary conditions and partially lifted when spherical tissues are modeled using a locally planar approximation, leading to numerical consequences when fitting model parameters to experimental data. The approach extends beyond vertex models and provides a framework for testing whether the parameter spaces of other physical models are free from degeneracy.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_18470
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Parameter degeneracy in the vertex model for tissues
Godolphim, Paulo C.
Brunnet, Leonardo G.
Soto, Rodrigo
Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
The vertex model with homogeneous cell properties is known to exhibit a parameter degeneracy in which the system's dynamics is independent of the target area. Here, we show, for the heterogeneous vertex model where cells differ in size and stiffness, that degeneracy is also present with the average product of target areas and stiffness becoming dynamically irrelevant. Fixing this quantity is equivalent to fixing the global internal tissue pressure. Unless properly treated, this degeneracy undermines the physical relevance of key observables' numerical values, such as cell target shape index, cell pressure, and cell stress tensor. We present methods to resolve the degeneracy and to correctly set the gauge pressure via symmetry transformations applied to the cells' target areas. We further demonstrate that the degeneracy is removed under certain boundary conditions and partially lifted when spherical tissues are modeled using a locally planar approximation, leading to numerical consequences when fitting model parameters to experimental data. The approach extends beyond vertex models and provides a framework for testing whether the parameter spaces of other physical models are free from degeneracy.
title Parameter degeneracy in the vertex model for tissues
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.18470