Sequence positivity through numeric analytic continuation: uniqueness of the Canham model for biomembranes

Abstract

We prove solution uniqueness for the genus one Canham variational problem arising in the shape prediction of biomembranes. The proof builds on a result of Yu and Chen that reduces the variational problem to proving positivity of a sequence defined by a linear recurrence relation with polynomial coefficients. We combine rigorous numeric analytic continuation of D-finite functions with classic bounds from singularity analysis to derive an effective index where the asymptotic behaviour of the sequence, which is positive, dominates the sequence behaviour. Positivity of the finite number of remaining terms is then checked separately.Mathematics Subject Classifications: 05A16, 68Q40, 30B40Keywords: Analytic combinatorics, D-finite, P-recursive, positivity, Canham model