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Optically driven ultra-stable nanomechanical rotor.

Stefan Kuhn¹, Benjamin A Stickler², Alon Kosloff³

¹University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, VCQ, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090, Vienna, Austria. stefan.kuhn@univie.ac.at.

Nature Communications

|November 23, 2017

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Researchers developed a rotating silicon nanorod locked to a clock, achieving high frequency stability. This nanomechanical device demonstrates potential for sensitive torque and pressure measurements at room temperature.

Area of Science:

Physics
Nanotechnology
Mechanical Engineering

Background:

Nanomechanical devices are increasingly researched for sensitive physical quantity transduction.
Precise control of nanomechanical systems is crucial for fundamental physics experiments.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate a rotating nanorod locked to an external clock.
To achieve high frequency stability in a nanomechanical rotor.
To explore the potential for sensitive torque and pressure measurements.

Main Methods:

Optically trapping a silicon nanorod and inducing rotation at MHz frequencies.
Locking the nanorod's motion to an external time standard.
Deriving and verifying stable limit cycles in the rotor's dynamics.

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Measuring real-time phase on the locked nanorod in a dilute gas.

Main Results:

Achieved remarkable frequency stability of 7.7 × 10¹¹.
Demonstrated stable limit cycles over a wide parameter range, despite potential for chaos.
Showcased potential for torque measurements with sensitivity better than 0.25 zNm at room temperature.
Transduced pressure values with 0.3% sensitivity in real-time.

Conclusions:

Optically trapped, MHz-frequency rotating nanorods can be locked to clocks, exhibiting exceptional frequency stability.
The robust stable limit cycles enable sensitive measurements of external torques and pressure.
This nanomechanical system offers a promising platform for high-precision sensing at room temperature.