Fröhlich's model of nonthermal excitations in biological systems

Abstract

A model of an open system of oscillators which transmit energy from a source to a bath predicts nonthermal excitation of a single mode at sufficiently high energy flux. A nonlinear interaction between the oscillators and the bath produces this far-from-equilibrium steady state by channeling through a single mode energy which may be introduced diffusely into the system. The steady state is stable against fluctuations, and relaxation to the steady state is dominated by a single rate characteristic of the collective nature of the excitation. As predicted by Fr\"ohlich, the model is in qualitative agreement with phenomena observed in metabolizing cells.