The dielectric response of spherical live cells in suspension: An analytic solution

TL;DR

This paper presents an analytical model for the dielectric response of spherical live cells in suspension, accounting for membrane effects and charge movement, explaining experimental dielectric behavior.

Contribution

It provides the first analytic solution for the dielectric function of spherical cells, incorporating membrane and charge effects, advancing theoretical understanding.

Findings

Analytic expression matches experimental alpha and beta plateaus.

Physical parameters systematically influence dielectric curves.

Model enhances interpretation of dielectric measurements in cell suspensions.

Abstract

We develop a theoretical framework to describe the dielectric response of live cells in suspensions when placed in low external electric fields. The treatment takes into account the presence of the cell's membrane and of the charge movement at the membrane's surfaces. For spherical cells suspended in aqueous solutions, we give an analytic solution for the dielectric function, which is shown to account for the alpha and beta plateaus seen in many experimental data. The effect of different physical parameters on the dielectric curves is methodically analyzed.