Aharonov-Bohm differential conductance modulation in defective metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes

Using a perturbative approach, the effects of the energy gap induced by the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) flux on the transport properties of defective metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (MSWCNTs) are investigated. The electronic waves scattered back and forth by a pair of impurities give rise to Fabry-Perot oscillations which constitutes a coherent backscattering interference pattern (CBSIP). It is shown that, the CBSIP is aperiodically modulated by applying a magnetic field parallel to the nanotube axis. In fact, the AB-flux brings this CBSIP under control by an additional phase shift. As a consequence, the extrema as well as zeros of the CBSIP are located at the irrational fractions of the quantity $\Phi_\rho={\Phi}/{\Phi_0}$, where $\Phi$ is the flux piercing the nanotube cross section and $\Phi_{0}=h/e$ is the magnetic quantum flux. Indeed, the spacing between two adjacent extrema in the magneto-differential conductance (MDC) profile is decreased with increasing the magnetic field. The faster and higher and slower and shorter variations is then obtained by metallic zigzag and armchair nanotubes, respectively. Such results propose that defective metallic nanotubes could be used as magneto-conductance switching devices based on the AB effect.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

A Mechanical Mass Sensor with Yoctogram Resolution

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have generated considerable interest as inertial mass sensors. NEMS resonators have been used to weigh cells, biomolecules, and gas molecules, creating many new possibilities for biological and chemical analysis [1-4]. Recently, NEMS-based mass sensors have been employed as a new tool in surface science in order to study e.g. the phase transitions or the diffusion of adsorbed atoms on nanoscale objects [5-7]. A key point in all these experiments is the ability to resolve small masses. Here we report on mass sensing experiments with a resolution of 1.7 yg (1 yg = 10^-24 g), which corresponds to the mass of one proton, or one hydrogen atom. The resonator is made of a ~150 nm long carbon nanotube resonator vibrating at nearly 2 GHz. The unprecedented level of sensitivity allows us to detect adsorption events of naphthalene molecules (C10H8) and to measure the binding energy of a Xe atom on the nanotube surface (131 meV). These ultrasensitive nanotube resonators offer new opportunities for mass spectrometry, magnetometry, and adsorption experiments.Comment: submitted version of the manuscrip

Multiple sediment incorporation events in a continental magmatic arc: Insight from the metasedimentary rocks of the northern North Cascades, Washington (USA)

The rheology and composition of arc crust and the overall evolution of continental magmatic arcs can be affected by sediment incorporation events. The exhumed Cretaceous–Eocene North Cascades arc exposes abundant meta­ sedimentary rocks that were incorporated into the arc during multiple events. This study uses field relationships, detrital zircon geochronology, bulk rock geo­ chemistry, geothermometry, and quartz­in­garnet geobarometry to distinguish approximate contacts and emplacement depths for different metasedimentary units to better understand their protolith incorporation history and impact on the arc. The Skagit Gneiss Complex is one of the main deep crustal units of the North Cascades arc. It includes metasedimentary rocks with distinct detrital zircon signatures: Proterozoic–Cretaceous (Group 1) or Triassic–Cretaceous (Group 2) zircon populations. Both metasedimentary groups achieved near­ peak metamorphic conditions of 640–800 °C and 5.5–7.9 kbar; several Group 2 samples reveal the higher pressures. A third group of metasedimentary rocks, which was previously interpreted as metamorphosed equivalents of backarc sediments (Group 3), exhibited unimodal Triassic or bimodal Late Jurassic– Early Cretaceous detrital zircon signatures and achieved near­peak conditions of 570–700 °C and 8.7–10.5 kbar. The combined field and analytical data indi­ cate that protoliths of Group 1 and Group 2 metasedimentary rocks were successively deposited in a forearc basin and underthrusted into the arc as a relatively coherent body. Group 3 backarc sediments were incorporated into the arc along a transpressional step­over zone. The incorporation of both forearc and backarc sediments was likely facilitated by arc magmatism that weakened arc crust in combination with regional transpression

Strong coupling between single-electron tunneling and nano-mechanical motion

Nanoscale resonators that oscillate at high frequencies are useful in many measurement applications. We studied a high-quality mechanical resonator made from a suspended carbon nanotube driven into motion by applying a periodic radio frequency potential using a nearby antenna. Single-electron charge fluctuations created periodic modulations of the mechanical resonance frequency. A quality factor exceeding 10^5 allows the detection of a shift in resonance frequency caused by the addition of a single-electron charge on the nanotube. Additional evidence for the strong coupling of mechanical motion and electron tunneling is provided by an energy transfer to the electrons causing mechanical damping and unusual nonlinear behavior. We also discovered that a direct current through the nanotube spontaneously drives the mechanical resonator, exerting a force that is coherent with the high-frequency resonant mechanical motion.Comment: Main text 12 pages, 4 Figures, Supplement 13 pages, 6 Figure

Nonlinear damping in mechanical resonators based on graphene and carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes and graphene allow fabricating outstanding nanomechanical resonators. They hold promise for various scientific and technological applications, including sensing of mass, force, and charge, as well as the study of quantum phenomena at the mesoscopic scale. Here, we have discovered that the dynamics of nanotube and graphene resonators is in fact highly exotic. We propose an unprecedented scenario where mechanical dissipation is entirely determined by nonlinear damping. As a striking consequence, the quality factor Q strongly depends on the amplitude of the motion. This scenario is radically different from that of other resonators, whose dissipation is dominated by a linear damping term. We believe that the difference stems from the reduced dimensionality of carbon nanotubes and graphene. Besides, we exploit the nonlinear nature of the damping to improve the figure of merit of nanotube/graphene resonators.Comment: main text with 4 figures, supplementary informatio

Imaging mechanical vibrations in suspended graphene sheets

We carried out measurements on nanoelectromechanical systems based on multilayer graphene sheets suspended over trenches in silicon oxide. The motion of the suspended sheets was electrostatically driven at resonance using applied radio-frequency voltages. The mechanical vibrations were detected using a novel form of scanning probe microscopy, which allowed identification and spatial imaging of the shape of the mechanical eigenmodes. In as many as half the resonators measured, we observed a new class of exotic nanoscale vibration eigenmodes not predicted by the elastic beam theory, where the amplitude of vibration is maximum at the free edges. By modeling the suspended sheets with the finite element method, these edge eigenmodes are shown to be the result of non-uniform stress with remarkably large magnitudes (up to 1.5 GPa). This non-uniform stress, which arises from the way graphene is prepared by pressing or rubbing bulk graphite against another surface, should be taken into account in future studies on electronic and mechanical properties of graphene

Nanoscale ear drum: Graphene based nanoscale sensors

The difficulty in determining the mass of a sample increases as its size diminishes. At the nanoscale, there are no direct methods for resolving the mass of single molecules or nanoparticles and so more sophisticated approaches based on electromechanical phenomena are required. More importantly, one demands that such nanoelectromechanical techniques could provide not only information about the mass of the target molecules but also about their geometrical properties. In this sense, we report a theoretical study that illustrates in detail how graphene membranes can operate as nanoelectromechanical mass-sensor devices. Wide graphene sheets were exposed to different types and amounts of molecules and molecular dynamic simulations were employed to treat these doping processes statistically. We demonstrate that the mass variation effect and information about the graphene-molecule interactions can be inferred through dynamical response functions. Our results confirm the potential use of graphene as mass detector devices with remarkable precision in estimating variations in mass at molecular scale and other physical properties of the dopants

Ultrasensitive force detection with a nanotube mechanical resonator

Since the advent of atomic force microscopy, mechanical resonators have been used to study a wide variety of phenomena, such as the dynamics of individual electron spins, persistent currents in normal metal rings, and the Casimir force. Key to these experiments is the ability to measure weak forces. Here, we report on force sensing experiments with a sensitivity of 12 zN Hz^(-1/2) at a temperature of 1.2 K using a resonator made of a carbon nanotube. An ultra-sensitive method based on cross-correlated electrical noise measurements, in combination with parametric downconversion, is used to detect the low-amplitude vibrations of the nanotube induced by weak forces. The force sensitivity is quantified by applying a known capacitive force. This detection method also allows us to measure the Brownian vibrations of the nanotube down to cryogenic temperatures. Force sensing with nanotube resonators offers new opportunities for detecting and manipulating individual nuclear spins as well as for magnetometry measurements.Comment: Early version. To be published in Nature Nanotechnolog

Capacitive Spring Softening in Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Nanoelectromechanical Resonators

We report the capacitive spring softening effect observed in single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) nanoelectromechanical (NEM) resonators. The nanotube resonators adopt dual-gate configuration with both bottom-gate and side-gate capable of tuning the resonance frequency through capacitive coupling. Interestingly, downward resonance frequency shifting is observed with increasing side-gate voltage, which can be attributed to the capacitive softening of spring constant. Furthermore, in-plane vibrational modes exhibit much stronger spring softening effect than out-of-plan modes. Our dual-gate design should enable the differentiation between these two types of vibrational modes, and open up new possibility for nonlinear operation of nanotube resonators.Comment: 12 pages/ 3 figure