Abstract
The great majority of experimental and theoretical studies in magnetobiology explored and tried to explain bioeffects on organisms (ranging from bacteria to humans) upon exposure to variable (AC) magnetic fields (MF) with a pure sinusoidal waveform, typically combined with a static (DC) component. In this report, a new class of signals is presented and posed as a relevant candidate for research in magnetobiology. The proposed signals are derived within the classic theory of the precession of a magnetic moment in a DC + AC MF in a parallel configuration. They display a frequency modulation such that the phase change per unit time of the applied AC field is, at all times, identical to that of the precession of the magnetic moment to which the field was tuned (considering its gyromagnetic ratio). In other words, applied AC field and precession of the ‘engaged’ magnetic moment are phase-locked. These phase-locked frequency modulated (PLFM) signals are discussed in the context of current literature, and possible future experimental and theoretical developments are suggested.
Highlights
Sinusoids have been the paradigmatic signals for exploring the response of systems to oscillatory stimuli in all branches of the natural sciences, including magnetobiology
In order to find the desired modulation, we look into the following identity, which represents the locking of the applied AC magnetic fields (MF) with the phase changes it produces in the precession of a given magnetic moment: ωAC(t) = ωL(t)
There is a key relation upon which the whole derivation rests, namely, that of Eq 3 which, in turn, holds as long as the angle between the MF and the precessing magnetic moment remains fixed
Summary
The great majority of experimental and theoretical studies in magnetobiology explored and tried to explain bioeffects on organisms (ranging from bacteria to humans) upon exposure to variable (AC) magnetic fields (MF) with a pure sinusoidal waveform, typically combined with a static (DC) component. The proposed signals are derived within the classic theory of the precession of a magnetic moment in a DC + AC MF in a parallel configuration They display a frequency modulation such that the phase change per unit time of the applied AC field is, at all times, identical to that of the precession of the magnetic moment to which the field was tuned (considering its gyromagnetic ratio). When the AC field is sinusoidal, by definition, its frequency will be constant, while that of Larmor’s will not This situation leads to a permanent incoherence between the precessing magnetic moment and the externally applied AC field; meaning that their relative phase will be time dependent. The choice of those values was merely made for visualization purposes: they are not posed to be of any particular (bio)physical relevance
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