Initiation and blocking of the action potential in the axon in weak ultrasonic or microwave fields

In this paper, we analyze the effect of the redistribution of the transmembrane ion channels in the axon caused by longitudinal acoustic vibrations of the membrane. These oscillations can be excited by an external source of ultrasound and weak microwave radiation interacting with the charges sitting on the surface of the lipid membrane. It is shown, using the Hodgkin-Huxley model of the axon, that the density redistribution of transmembrane sodium channels may reduce the threshold of the action potential, up to its spontaneous initiation. At the significant redistribution of sodium channels in membrane, the rarefaction zones of the transmembrane channels density are formed, blocking the propagation of the action potential. Blocking the action potential propagation along the axon is shown to cause anestesia in the example case of a squid axon. Various approaches to experimental observation of the effects considered in this paper are discussed

Non-thermal influence of a weak microwave on nerve fiber activity

This paper presents a short selective review of the non-thermal weak microwave field impact on a nerve fiber. The published results of recent experiments are reviewed and analyzed. The theory of the authors is presented, according to which there are strongly pronounced resonances in the range of about 30-300 GHz associated with the excitation of ultrasonic vibrations in the membrane as a result of interactions with the microwave radiation. These forced vibrations create acoustic pressure, which may lead to the redistribution of the protein transmembrane channels, thus changing the threshold of the action potential excitation in the axons of the neural network. The problem of surface charge on the bilayer lipid membrane of the nerve fiber is discussed. Various experiments for observing the effects considered are also discussed.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1309.594

Cavitation nanopore in the dielectric fluid in the inhomogeneous, pulsed electric fields

This paper discusses the nanopores emerging and developing in a liquid dielectric under the action of the ponderomotive electrostrictive forces in a nonuniform electric field. It is shown that the gradient of the electric field in the vicinity of the rupture (cavitation nanopore) substantially increases and determines whether the rupture grows or collapses. The cavitation rupture in the liquid (nanopore) tends to stretch along the lines of the original field. The mechanism of the breakdown associated with the generation of secondary ruptures in the vicinity of the poles of the nanopore is proposed. The estimations of the extension time for nanopore in water and oil (polar and nonpolar liquids, respectively) are presented. A new mechanism of nano- and subnanosecond breakdown in the insulating (transformer) oil that can be realized in the vicinity of water microdroplets in modern nanosecond high-voltage devices is considere

Initial stage of cavitation in liquids and its observation by Rayleigh scattering

A theory is developed for the initial stage of cavitation in the framework of Zel'dovich-Fisher theory of nucleation in the field of negative pressure, while taking into account the surface tension dependence on the nanopore radius. A saturation mechanism is proposed that limits the exponential dependence of the nucleation rate on the energy required to create nanopores. An estimate of the saturated density of nanopores at the nucleation stage is obtained. It is shown that Rayleigh scattering can detect nanopores arising at the initial stage of cavitation development

Cavitation near the oscillating piezoelectric plate in water

It is known that gas bubbles on the surface bounding a fluid flow can change the coefficient of friction and affect the parameters of the boundary layer. In this paper, we propose a method that allows us to create, in the near-wall region, a thin layer of liquid filled with bubbles. It will be shown that if there is an oscillating piezoelectric plate on the surface bounding a liquid, then, under certain conditions, cavitation develops in the boundary layer. The relationship between the parameters of cavitation and the characteristics of the piezoelectric plate oscillations is obtained. Possible applications are discussed

Dielectric Fluid in Inhomogeneous Pulsed Electric Field

We consider the dynamics of a compressible fluid under the influence of electrostrictive ponderomotive forces in strong inhomogeneous nonstationary electric fields. It is shown that if the fronts of the voltage rise at a sharp, needle-like electrode are rather steep (less than or about nanoseconds), and the region of negative pressure arises, which can reach values at which the fluid loses its continuity with the formation of cavitation ruptures. If the voltage on the electrode is not large enough or the front is flatter, the cavitation in the liquid does not occur. However, a sudden shutdown of the field results in a reverse flow of liquid from the electrode, which leads to appearance of negative pressure, and, possibly, cavitation

Correlation of action potentials in adjacent neurons

A possible mechanism for the synchronization of action potential propagation along a bundle of neurons (ephaptic coupling) is considered. It is shown that this mechanism is similar to the salutatory conduction of the action potential between the nodes of Ranvier in myelinated axons. The proposed model allows us to estimate the scale of the correlation, i.e., the distance between neurons in the nervous tissue, wherein their synchronization becomes possible. The possibility for experimental verification of the proposed model of synchronization is discussed

The surface charge of a cell lipid membrane

In this paper the problem of surface charge of the lipid membrane immersed in the physiological solution is considered. It is shown that both side of the bilayer phospholipid membrane surface are negatively charged. A self-consistent model of the potential in solution is developed, and a stationary charge density on the membrane surface is found. It is shown that the ions of the surface charge are in a relatively deep (as compared to kBT) potential wells, which are localized near the dipole heads of phospholipid membrane. It makes impossible for ions to slip along the membrane surface. Simple experiments for verifying the correctness of the considered model are proposed. A developed approach can be used for estimations of the surface charges on the outer and inner membrane of the cell

Andreev Blockade in a Double Quantum Dot with a Superconducting Lead

A normal metal source reservoir can load two electrons onto a double quantum dot in the spin-triplet configuration. We show that if the drain lead of the dot is a spin-singlet superconductor, these electrons cannot form a Cooper pair and are blockaded on the double dot. We call this phenomenon Andreev blockade because it arises due to suppressed Andreev reflections. We identify transport characteristics unique to Andreev blockade. Most significantly, it occurs for any occupation of the dot adjacent to the superconductor, in contrast with the well-studied Pauli blockade which requires odd occupations. Andreev blockade is lifted if quasiparticles are allowed to enter the superconducting lead, but it should be observable in the hard gap superconductor-semiconductor devices. Andreev blockade should be considered in the design of topological quantum circuits, hybrid quantum bits and quantum emulators.Comment: 5 pages + supplemen

Amplitude / Higgs Modes in Condensed Matter Physics

The order parameter and its variations in space and time in many different states in condensed matter physics at low temperatures are described by the complex function $\Psi({\bf r}, t)$. These states include superfluids, superconductors, and a subclass of antiferromagnets and charge-density waves. The collective fluctuations in the ordered state may then be categorized as oscillations of phase and amplitude of $\Psi({\bf r}, t)$. The phase oscillations are the {\it Goldstone} modes of the broken continuous symmetry. The amplitude modes, even at long wavelengths, are well defined and decoupled from the phase oscillations only near particle-hole symmetry, where the equations of motion have an effective Lorentz symmetry as in particle physics, and if there are no significant avenues for decay into other excitations. They bear close correspondence with the so-called {\it Higgs} modes in particle physics, whose prediction and discovery is very important for the standard model of particle physics. In this review, we discuss the theory and the possible observation of the amplitude or Higgs modes in condensed matter physics -- in superconductors, cold-atoms in periodic lattices, and in uniaxial antiferromagnets. We discuss the necessity for at least approximate particle-hole symmetry as well as the special conditions required to couple to such modes because, being scalars, they do not couple linearly to the usual condensed matter probes.Comment: 39 pages, 12 figures. Replaced with published version; Annual Reviews of Condensed Matter Physics Volume 6 (2015