Dielectric Spectroscopy of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

The dielectric properties of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) have been measured using time domain dielectric spectroscopy (TDDS) in the temperature range from 1 to 40 oC. A single dielectric dispersion is observed in the MHz range. The activation energy of the process is found to be in the range 1–2 kcal/mol. The experimental data could not be completely accounted for by current theoretical models, but evidence indicates that the dielectric loss arises from polarisation of charge on and around the virus