Dual contribution to amplification in the mammalian inner ear
Reichenbach T, Hudspeth AJ (2010)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2010
Journal
Book Volume: 105
Article Number: 118102
Journal Issue: 11
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.118102
Abstract
The inner ear achieves a wide dynamic range of responsiveness by mechanically amplifying weak sounds. The enormous mechanical gain reported for the mammalian cochlea, which exceeds a factor of 4000, poses a challenge for theory. Here we show how such a large gain can result from an interaction between amplification by low-gain hair bundles and a pressure wave: hair bundles can amplify both their displacement per locally applied pressure and the pressure wave itself. A recently proposed ratchet mechanism, in which hair-bundle forces do not feed back on the pressure wave, delineates the two effects. Our analytical calculations with a WKB approximation agree with numerical solutions. © 2010 The American Physical Society.
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APA:
Reichenbach, T., & Hudspeth, A.J. (2010). Dual contribution to amplification in the mammalian inner ear. Physical Review Letters, 105(11). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.118102
MLA:
Reichenbach, Tobias, and A. J. Hudspeth. "Dual contribution to amplification in the mammalian inner ear." Physical Review Letters 105.11 (2010).
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