%0 Journal Article
%A Jaksch, Sebastian
%A Koutsioubas, Alexandros
%A Mattauch, Stefan
%A Holderer, Olaf
%A Frielinghaus, Henrich
%T Long-Range Excitations in Phospholipid Membranes
%J Chemistry and physics of lipids
%V 225
%@ 0009-3084
%C Amsterdam [u.a.]
%I Elsevier Science
%M FZJ-2019-03807
%P 104788
%D 2019
%X We investigated the existence of long-range excitations and correlated structures in phospholipid membranes by means of grazing-incidence neutron spin echo spectroscopy, grazing-incidence small-angle neutron scattering, and corresponding theoretical calculations inspired by smectic-membrane theory. All these methods confirmed the existence of thermal excitations in the plane of the surface of the phospholipid membranes or the corresponding structures, respectively. Also, these measurements revealed a temperature dependence of these excitations. These excitations are associated with 100 nm in-plane correlations around physiological temperatures and of 75 nm at 16∘C. A single excitation has an energy around the μeV-regime. A temperature series revealed a high abundance at physiological temperatures and pronounced long-range in-plane structures, which are strongly suppressed at temperatures below 20∘C. From the length-scales and energy transfers involved we surmise that these excitations may play a role in several functions of the cell membranes such as stability and energy dissipation along the membrane. From a fundamental point of view, the observed behavior of those excitations is congruent with that of a quasi-particle (surface mode phonon, smomon) that exists in the plane of phospholipid membranes.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%$ pmid:31310735
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000498339400002
%R 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2019.104788
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/863827