Abstract
A fundamental characteristic of cochlear mechanics is the traveling wave—a transverse wave which propagates from base to apex along the basilar membrane. Experiments and models have shown that its wavenumber (2π/wavelength) increases with stimulus frequency for a given membrane place, linearly at first then quadratically as the stimulus frequency approaches the best frequency (BF; Puria and Steele, 2008, The Senses). The wavenumber-frequency relationship (WFR) beyond the BF in experiments and models remains to be understood. We used finite-element models of gerbil and mouse cochleae to calculate the WFR to frequencies well above the BF. Our models replicated previous findings of the WFR increasing linearly in the long-wave region then quadratically in the short-wave region, but the relationship subsequently turned linear again near the BF region and continued this way at higher frequencies. We hypothesize that this linear increase is due to viscous damping in the cochlea which continues to dominate the response well beyond BF. There is no sign of a mass dominated region in the WFR suggesting that there is no harmonic oscillator resonance at least up to a few octaves above the BF. [Work supported by the Amelia Peabody Scholars Fund and NIDCD R01DC07910, F31DC021079, and T32 DC000038.]
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call