Coupling functions:universal insights into dynamical interaction mechanisms

The dynamical systems found in Nature are rarely isolated. Instead they interact and influence each other. The coupling functions that connect them contain detailed information about the functional mechanisms underlying the interactions and prescribe the physical rule specifying how an interaction occurs. Here, we aim to present a coherent and comprehensive review encompassing the rapid progress made recently in the analysis, understanding and applications of coupling functions. The basic concepts and characteristics of coupling functions are presented through demonstrative examples of different domains, revealing the mechanisms and emphasizing their multivariate nature. The theory of coupling functions is discussed through gradually increasing complexity from strong and weak interactions to globally-coupled systems and networks. A variety of methods that have been developed for the detection and reconstruction of coupling functions from measured data is described. These methods are based on different statistical techniques for dynamical inference. Stemming from physics, such methods are being applied in diverse areas of science and technology, including chemistry, biology, physiology, neuroscience, social sciences, mechanics and secure communications. This breadth of application illustrates the universality of coupling functions for studying the interaction mechanisms of coupled dynamical systems

Threshold Switching and Self-Oscillation in Niobium Oxide

Volatile threshold switching, or current controlled negative differential resistance (CC-NDR), has been observed in a range of transition metal oxides. Threshold switching devices exhibit a large non-linear change in electrical conductivity, switching from an insulating to a metallic state under external stimuli. Compact, scalable and low power threshold switching devices are of significant interest for use in existing and emerging technologies, including as a selector element in high-density memory arrays and as solid-state oscillators for hardware-based neuromorphic computing. This thesis explores the threshold switching in amorphous NbOx and the properties of individual and coupled oscillators based on this response. The study begins with an investigation of threshold switching in Pt/NbOx/TiN devices as a function device area, NbOx film thickness and temperature, which provides important insight into the structure of the self-assembled switching region. The devices exhibit combined threshold-memory behaviour after an initial voltage-controlled forming process, but exhibit symmetric threshold switching when the RESET and SET currents are kept below a critical value. In this mode, the threshold and hold voltages are shown to be independent of the device area and film thickness, and the threshold power, while independent of device area, is shown to decrease with increasing film thickness. These results are shown to be consistent with a structure in which the threshold switching volume is confined, both laterally and vertically, to the region between the residual memory filament and the electrode, and where the memory filament has a core-shell structure comprising a metallic core and a semiconducting shell. The veracity of this structure is demonstrated by comparing experimental results with the predictions of a resistor network model, and detailed finite element simulations. The next study focuses on electrical self-oscillation of an NbOx threshold switching device incorporated into a Pearson-Anson circuit configuration. Measurements confirm stable operation of the oscillator at source voltages as low as 1.06 V, and demonstrate frequency control in the range from 2.5 to 20.5 MHz with maximum frequency tuning range of 18 MHz/V. The oscillator exhibit three distinct oscillation regimes: sporadic spiking, stable oscillation and damped oscillation. The oscillation frequency, peak-to-peak amplitude and frequency are shown to be temperature and voltage dependent with stable oscillation achieved for temperatures up to ∼380 K. A physics-based threshold switching model with inclusion of device and circuit parameters is shown to explain the oscillation waveform and characteristic. The final study explores the oscillation dynamics of capacitively coupled Nb/Nb2O5 relaxation oscillators. The coupled system exhibits rich collective behaviour, from weak coupling to synchronisation, depending on the negative differential resistance response of the individual devices, the operating voltage and the coupling capacitance. These coupled oscillators are shown to exhibit stable frequency and phase locking states at source voltages as low as 2.2 V with MHz frequency tunable range. The numerical simulation of the coupled system highlights the role of source voltage, and circuit and device capacitance in controlling the coupling modes and dynamics

Distributed Sensing Via Inductively Coupled Single-Transistor Chaotic Oscillators: A New Approach and Its Experimental Proof-of-Concept

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Spins in Thin Films and Nanodevices

The central theme of this work is the engineering of devices and materials that exhibit spin dependent phenomena. In particular, the spin orientation of charge carriers can play a central role in transport, especially in magnetic or other spin correlated media. Propagation of charge carriers with net spin results in a transfer of angular momentum that can excite static and dynamical states in active device elements. To utilize such phenomena in practical devices, new mew means of device characterization and optimization must be developed. To that end, we have performed experiments which elucidate some of the mechanisms underlying spin dependent transport phenomena.;We report the observation of hysteretic synchronization of point contact spin torque nano-oscillators (STNOs) by a microwave magnetic field. The hysteresis was asymmetric with respect to the frequency detuning of the driving signal, and appeared in the region of a strong dependence of the oscillation frequency on the bias current. Theoretical analysis showed that hysteretic synchronization occurred when the width of the synchronization range, enhanced by the oscillator\u27s nonlinearity, became comparable to the dissipation rate, while the observed asymmetry was a consequence of the nonlinear dependence of frequency on the bias current.;Another emergent phenomenon was a series of fractional synchronization regimes in a STNO driven by a microwave field. These regimes are characterized by rational relations between the driving frequency and the frequency of the oscillation. Analysis based on the phase model of auto-oscillator indicates that fractional synchronization becomes possible when the driving signal breaks the symmetry of the oscillation, while the synchronization ranges are determined by the geometry of the oscillation orbit. Measurements of fractional synchronization were utilized to obtain information about the oscillation characteristics in nanoscale systems not accessible to direct imaging techniques.;Oxidation in magnetic nanosystems can result in changes of the magnetic ordering of active layers in devices, resulting in degraded device performance. We demonstrate that magnetic multilayer nanopillars can be efficiently protected from oxidation by coating with silicon. Both the protected and the oxidized nanopillars exhibited an increase of reversal current at cryogenic temperatures. However the magnetic excitation onset current increased only in the oxidized samples. We show that oxidized nanopillars exhibit anomalous switching statistics at low temperature, providing a simple test for the quality of magnetic nanodevices.;We studied exchange bias in magnetic multilayers incorporating antiferromagnet CoO doped with up to 35 atomic percent of Pt. The exchange bias increased with doping in epitaxial films, but did not significantly change in polycrystalline films at the lowest measured temperature of 5 K, and decreased at higher temperatures. We explain our results by the increased granularity of the doped antiferromagnetic films, resulting in simultaneous enhancement of the uncompensated spin density and reduction of the magnetic stability of antiferromagnetic grains.;Finally, we demonstrate the growth of Bi2Se3, a material known as a topological insulator (TI). The structural and electronic properties of Bi2Se3 films grown on Al2O 3 (110) by molecular beam epitaxy were investigated. The epitaxial films grew in the Frank-van der Merwe mode and were c-axis oriented. They exhibited the highest crystallinity, the lowest carrier concentration, and optimal stoichiometry at a substrate temperature of 200 .C determined by the balance between surface kinetics and desorption of selenium. The crystallinity of the films improved with increasing selenium/bismuth flux ratio

Dinâmica de micro-osciladores acoplados

Orientador: Gustavo Silva WiederheckerTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb WataghinResumo: Nas últimas décadas a optomecânica de microcavidades chamou a atenção de cientistas e engenheiros, que encontraram na interação entre luz e ondas acústicas aplicações que variam de sensores de massa com resolução atômica, até a preparação de estados quânticos de osciladores harmônicos mesoscópicos, passando por simuladores quânticos, filtros ópticos controláveis opticamente, criação de estados topológicos para luz e fônons, apenas citando alguns exemplos. Apesar das diversas demonstrações de vários dispositivos, sendo discos e cristais fotônicos os formatos mais comuns, há ainda um grande esforço no sentido de aperfeiçoá-los reduzindo perdas ópticas e mecânicas e suprimindo outros fenômenos de óptica não-linear, como absorção de dois fótons, que podem impedir seu funcionamento apropriado. Como ressonadores ópticos e mecânicos tipicamente compartilham a mesma estrutura nestes dispositivos, seus projetos são acoplados, dificultando o aprimoramento independente de cada um. Nesta tese usamos dispositivos optomecânicos de campo próximo, cuja interação entre modos mecânicos e ópticos se dá através do campo evanescente do último, para desacoplar o projeto mecânico do óptico, o que nos permitiu estudar a otimização do ressonador mecânico sem qualquer efeito sobre a cavidade óptica. Com um ressonador mecânico de silício composto por dois osciladores acoplados, pudemos demonstrar que o correto equilíbrio das massas de cada oscilador é um método simples e eficiente para suprimir as perdas devido à radiação de energia mecânica para o substrato na escala de frequência de 50 MHz. Este processo permitiu que fatores de qualidade limitados por perdas relacionadas ao material e à superfície, da ordem de 10 mil à temperatura ambiente e de 50 mil a aproximadamente 25 K, fossem obtidos. Também observamos nestes dispositivos o fenômeno de auto-pulsação, que apresenta uma dinâmica própria tão interessante quanto a optomecânica, apesar de impedir a operação apropriada dos osciladores optomecânicos. Estudamos este fenômeno separadamente e demonstramos que estes pulsos, ocorrendo em duas cavidades ópticas acopladas por seus campos evanescentes, podem sincronizar com o campo óptico sendo o único intermediador. Ambas as demonstrações têm implicações importantes, abrindo caminho para o desenvolvimento de novas plataformas de interesse tanto científico quanto tecnológico, como estruturas para o estudo de estados topológicos para a luz e para ondas acústicas e geradores de sinal de radio-frequência de alto desempenho. Além disso, os dispositivos foram todos produzidos em uma fábrica comercial, o que também demonstra que sua fabricação está pronta para ser escalada para produção em massaAbstract: Cavity optomechanics in the micro-scale has attracted the attention of scientists and engineers on the last few decades, who encountered applications to the interaction of light and acoustic waves ranging from atomic resolution mass sensors to the preparation of quantum states of mesoscopic harmonic oscillators, passing by quantum simulators, optically controllable optical filters, formation of topological states for both photons and phonons, just to mention a few examples. Although various devices have been demonstrated, with disks and photonics crystals being the most common designs, there is still a large effort to improve them by reducing optical and mechanical losses and suppressing other non-linear phenomena, such as two-photon absorption, that may affect their proper operation. Because optical and mechanical resonators typically share the same structure in these devices, their designs are coupled, which complicates the independent improvement of each one. In this thesis we used near-field optomechanical devices, whose mechanical modes interact with the optical through the latter¿s evanescent field, to decouple the mechanical design from the optical, what allowed us to focus all attention on the mechanical resonator. With a silicon mechanical resonator composed of two coupled oscillators, we could demonstrate that the correct balance of the masses of the oscillators is an efficient and simple way to suppress losses due to energy radiation to the substrate at the 50 MHz frequency range. This strategy led to material and surface limited quality factors close to 10k at room temperature and 50k at approximately 25 K. We also observed the phenomenon of self-pulsing in these devices, which presents dynamics as interesting as the optomechanical interactions do, in spite of being a problem for the proper operation of the optomechanical devices. We studied this phenomenon separately and demonstrated that these pulses, when occurring in two evanescently coupled optical cavities, may synchronize with the optical field being the sole intermediary. These two demonstrations have important implications, paving the way for new platforms of scientific and technological interest, such as structures for the study of topological states for both light and acoustic weaves as well as high efficiency radio-frequency signal generators. Moreover, these devices were all fabricated in a commercial foundry, which also demonstrates that the fabrication of such technology is ready to be scaled up to mass productionDoutoradoFísicaDoutor em Ciências153044/2013-6CNP