Nanoelectromechanical Systems

TL;DR

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) are tiny mechanical-electronic devices with potential for ultrasensitive measurements and quantum dynamics studies, with recent work analyzing their classical behavior and effective thermal bath interactions.

Contribution

This paper provides a comprehensive survey of NEMS and analyzes their classical dynamics, highlighting how weak coupling leads to effective thermal bath behavior despite non-equilibrium conditions.

Findings

Weak coupling makes electronic devices act as thermal baths

NEMS can be used for ultrasensitive force microscopy

Classical dynamics of NEMS can be approximated by thermal models

Abstract

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) are nano-to-micrometer scale mechanical resonators coupled to electronic devices of similar dimensions. NEMS show promise for fast, ultrasensitive force microscopy and for deepening our understanding of how classical dynamics arises by approximation to quantum dynamics. This article begins with a survey of NEMS and then describes certain aspects of their classical dynamics. In particular, we show that for weak coupling the action of the electronic device on the mechanical resonator can be effectively that of a thermal bath, this despite the device being a driven, far-from-equilibrium system.