Electret Model for the Collective Behaviour of Biological Systems

Abstract

Abstract It is suggested that several basic properties of biological systems, such as muscular motions, active transport of energy, etc., may be described in terms of a dynamical model possessing metastable ferroelectric states. The model is based on the observation that confi-gurationally unstable anions, in particular O2-, can lead to ferroelectric phase transitions. Due to the highly variable electronic polarizability of such ions a fourth-order potential is generated which can be the origin of three types of solitary excitations: elastic 'pulse' solitons, ferroelectric 'kink' (or domain-wall) solitons and periodic (coherent) solitary waves. Their possible relation to biological phenomena is discussed.