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Updated: May 8, 2026

Fabrication and Testing of Microfluidic Optomechanical Oscillators
Published on: May 29, 2014
Observation of locked phase dynamics and enhanced frequency stability in synchronized micromechanical oscillators
Deepak K Agrawal1, Jim Woodhouse, Ashwin A Seshia
1Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Even though synchronization in autonomous systems has been observed for over three centuries, reports of systematic experimental studies on synchronized oscillators are limited. Here, we report on observations of internal synchronization in coupled silicon micromechanical oscillators associated with a reduction in the relative phase random walk that is modulated by the magnitude of the reactive coupling force between the oscillators. Additionally, for the first time, a significant improvement in the frequency stability of synchronized micromechanical oscillators is reported. The concept presented here is scalable and could be suitably engineered to establish the basis for a new class of highly precise miniaturized clocks and frequency references.
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