Radio-Wave Oscillations of Molecular-Chain Resonators

Description

We report a new type of nanomechanical resonator system based on one-dimensional chains of only 4 to 7 weakly coupled small molecules. Experimental characterization of the truly nanoscopic resonators is achieved by means of a novel radio-frequency scanning tunneling microscopy detection technique at cryogenic temperatures. Above 20 K we observe concerted oscillations of the individual molecules in chains, reminiscent of the first and second eigenmodes of a one-dimensional harmonic resonator. Radio-frequency scanning tunneling microscopy based frequency measurement reveals a characteristic length dependence of the oscillation frequency (between 51 and 127 MHz) in reasonable agreement with onedimensional oscillator models. Our study demonstrates a new strategy for investigating and controlling the resonance properties of nanomechanical oscillators.

Period	23 Sept 2014
Event title	Materials Science Engineering (MSE 2014), Darmstadt, Germany, 23.-25.09.2014
Event type	Conference
Location	GermanyShow on map