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Types of Forces

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In most situations, forces can be grouped into two categories: contact forces and field forces. Contact forces occur as a result of direct physical contact between objects. Field forces, however, act without the necessity of physical contact between objects. They depend on the presence of a "field" in the region of space surrounding the body under consideration. You can think of a field as a property of space that is detectable by the forces it exerts. Scientists think there are only four...

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An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

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Current-induced forces in mesoscopic systems: A scattering-matrix approach.

Niels Bode¹, Silvia Viola Kusminskiy, Reinhold Egger

¹Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems and Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology

|March 20, 2012

Summary

Current flow in nanoelectromechanical systems significantly affects mechanical vibrations. This study develops a unified theory using scattering-matrix methods to describe current-induced forces, revealing potential for destabilizing vibrations and inducing limit-cycle dynamics.

Keywords:

S-matrix current-induced forces electronic transport theory nanoelectromechanical systems scattering matrix

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Area of Science:

Physics
Nanotechnology
Quantum Mechanics

Background:

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) exhibit strong coupling between electronic and mechanical properties.
Current flow in NEMS influences vibrational dynamics, and vice-versa, especially at the nanoscale.
Understanding non-equilibrium dynamics in NEMS is crucial for device applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a unified quantum transport theory for out-of-equilibrium NEMS.
To derive expressions for current-induced forces on mechanical degrees of freedom.
To investigate the impact of these forces on NEMS dynamics, including potential instabilities.

Main Methods:

Employing the scattering-matrix approach to quantum transport.
Developing a theory for non-equilibrium NEMS dynamics.
Deriving expressions for various current-induced forces (mean, damping, Lorentz, fluctuating).

Main Results:

Formulas for current-induced forces derived from scattering-matrix theory.
Identification of mean, damping, effective Lorentz, and fluctuating forces.
Demonstration that current-induced forces can destabilize mechanical vibrations in out-of-equilibrium NEMS.

Conclusions:

The developed theory provides a unified framework for NEMS out of equilibrium.
Current-induced forces play a critical role in NEMS dynamics, potentially leading to complex behaviors like limit cycles.
This work offers insights into controlling and understanding NEMS behavior through electrical-mechanical coupling.