Thermodynamics of shock waves in lipid membranes

What is it about?

The paper describes shock physics of two dimensional sound waves propagating at a lipid interface. Its shown that nonlinear material properties of a lipid interface explain and determine the threshold, saturation and blocking of these pulses. Same analysis is then applied to available data on squid axon and is shown to explain the heat block in nerves.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Thermodynamics of sound propagation in lipid membranes is an emerging field motivated by the fact that such waves might have a role in biological communication. This paper shows how material properties of a lipid membrane can be tuned to make such signals specific by providing a threshold or blocking such signals. Biologically the material properties can change as a result of change in pH, ion concentration, pressure, temperature or composition. Indeed it is shown how these ideas explain temperature dependent blocking of nerve impulses in squid axon.