What is the time scale of magnetic field interaction in biological systems?
An experimental test constraining the intrinsic time scale of a primary physical mechanism that detects extremely-low-frequency (ELF) magnetic fields in biological systems is proposed. The suggested test postulates that a transductive mechanism operating on time scales much shorter than the period of an applied magnetic field cannot obtain any information about the exposure conditions other than the absolute magnitude of the field. By generating field exposure that differ in their vector properties but are equivalent in their time-varying absolute amplitude, it is possible to differentiate between two broad classes of mechanisms: 1) those with intrinsic time scales comparable with or longer than those of the external influence, and 2) those that are much faster than the period of the applied field. The hypothesis assumes an experimental model proven to respond to magnetic fields and sensitive to a change of about a factor of two in one of the field parameters (AC, DC amplitude or frequency). The case of general linearly polarized fields is discussed, and an analytical solution for the case of perpendicular AC/DC fields is given.
Engström
S
S
Research Service, J.L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital, Loma Linda, CA 92357, USA. sengstrom@aol.com
D000818:Animals; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D008280:Magnetics; D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological; D009991:Oscillometry; D013995:Time