Sensor sensitivity based on synthetic magnetism exceptional point

TL;DR

This paper proposes a highly sensitive mass sensor leveraging exceptional points engineered through synthetic magnetism in an electromechanical system, enabling enhanced detection of nanoparticles or pollutants.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mass sensing approach using EPs in a synthetic magnetism setup, outperforming anti-PT-symmetric sensors and enabling multiple sensing schemes.

Findings

Frequency splitting scales as the square root of perturbation strength.

Multiple sensing schemes are possible due to the set of EPs.

Sensor performance surpasses anti-PT-symmetric counterparts.

Abstract

An efficient mass sensor based on exceptional points (EPs), engineered under synthetic magnetism requirement, is proposed. The benchmark system consists of an electromechanical (optomechanical) system where an electric (optical) field is driving two mechanical resonators which are mechanically coupled through a phase-dependent phonon-hopping. This phase induces series of EPs once it matches the condition of $\frac{\pi}{2}(2n +1)$. For any perturbation of the system, the phase-matched condition is no longer satisfied and this lifts the EP-degeneracies leading to a frequency splitting that scales as the square root of the perturbation strength, resulting in a giant sensitivity-factor enhancement. Owing to the set of EPs, our proposal allows multiple sensing scheme and performs better than its anti-PT-symmetric sensor counterpart. This work sheds light on new platforms that can be used for mass sensing purposes, opening up new opportunities in nanoparticles or pollutants detection, and to water treatment.