Abstract.
In this work we find the exact solution for the flow field in a semicircular canal which is the main sensor for angular motion in the human body. When the head is rotated the inertia of the fluid in the semicircular canal leads to a deflection of sensory hair cells which are part of a gelatinous structure called cupula. A modal expansion of the governing equation shows that the semicircular organ can be understood as a dynamic system governed by duct modes and a single cupular mode. We use this result to derive an explicit expression for the displacement of the cupula as a function of the angular motion of the head. This result shows in a mathematically and physically clean way that the semicircular canal is a transducer for angular velocity.
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Received: March 16, 2006; revised: November 11, 2006 and May 26, 2007
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Obrist, D. Fluidmechanics of semicircular canals – revisited. Z. angew. Math. Phys. 59, 475–497 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00033-007-6037-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00033-007-6037-7