Dielectric Modulation of Biological Water

We show that water constrained by vicinal hydrophobes undergoes a librational dynamics that lowers the dielectric susceptibility and induces a “redshift” of the relaxation frequency in the hydration shell. The results shed light on the way proteins enhance their intramolecular interactions as they fold or associate.

Figure 1

Average dielectric susceptibility $\chi$ against the depletion parameter $f/m$.