Abstract
We present a physical mechanism which can lead to oscillatory motion of molecular motors cooperating in large groups when the system is elastically coupled to its environment. Analytical and numerical calculations reveal a characteristic type of oscillatory behavior with cusplike extrema. Typical oscillation frequencies are determined by the internal time scales of the motors. The physical mechanism we describe generates in a natural way many of the characteristic properties of spontaneous oscillations observed in some muscles and myofibrils.
- Received 19 November 1996
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.4510
©1997 American Physical Society