Soft Condensed Matter Physics in Molecular and Cell Biology (Scottish Graduate)

Author: Andelman, David
Brand: CRC Press
Edition: 1
Binding: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 344
Release Date: 13-01-2006
EAN: 9780750310239
Languages: English

Details:
Soft condensed matter physics, which emerged as a distinct branch of physics in the 1990s, studies complex fluids—liquids in which structures with length scales between the molecular and macroscopic levels exist. Polymers, liquid crystals, surfactant solutions, and colloids all fall into this category. Physicists are particularly fascinated by how soft matter systems use Brownian motion to self-assemble into higher-order structures.

This book provides insights into the generic properties of soft matter, offering a fundamental understanding of many interdisciplinary questions. While these properties have significant industrial applications, the primary focus here is on their use in molecular and cell biology. This realization that biology is essentially soft matter come alive forms the core of the discussions in the book.

Originally derived from lectures in the NATO Advanced Science Institute (ASI) and Scottish Universities Summer Schools in Physics, these chapters represent the contributions of seventeen experts at the forefront of their respective fields. The book covers the essential physics of soft matter before exploring its applications in biomacromolecules like proteins, DNA, and lipids, and aspects of cell biology. The final section delves into experimental techniques such as single-molecule force spectroscopy, optical tweezers, and scattering methods, including X-ray, neutron, and light scattering from solutions.

This work is suitable as a text for graduate students in physics, while also providing valuable insights for soft condensed matter physicists wishing to contribute to biology and biologists seeking to understand the latest developments in the field.