1203.2597 (A. Nocera et al.)

Probing nonlinear mechanical effects through electronic currents: the
case of a nanomechanical resonator acting as electronic transistor    [PDF]

A. Nocera, C. A. Perroni, V. Marigliano Ramaglia, V. Cataudella

We study a general model describing a self-detecting single electron transistor realized by a suspended carbon nanotube actuated by a nearby antenna. The main features of the device, recently observed in a number of experiments, are accurately reproduced. When the device is in a low current-carrying state, a peak in the current signals a mechanical resonance. On the contrary, a dip in the current is found in high current-carrying states. We show that the nonlinear effects coming out at high values of the antenna amplitude are related to the effective nonlinear force induced by the electronic flow. The interplay between electronic and mechanical degrees of freedom is understood in terms of an unifying model including in an intrinsic way the nonlinear effects driven by the external probe.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1203.2597