Auditory frequency analysis as an active dissipative process

An active dissipative process organizes auditory frequency analysis in the mammalian cochlea. A minimal active beam model reveals that a spatially varying viscous coupling operator, ${\mathrm{\partial }}_{xx}\kappa {\mathrm{\partial }}_{xx}$, generates dissipative forces with wave–like propagation. Local energy injection and spatial redistribution compete to govern the dynamics. This balance enables the quantitative reproduction of four key features: sharp tuning, high gain, compression, and spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. Hearing thereby belongs to a broad class of nonequilibrium pattern-forming systems.