Driving-voltage-induced mechanical force oscillations in metal quantum point contacts

TL;DR

This paper predicts that applying a finite voltage to metal quantum point contacts induces mechanical force oscillations due to electronic reconfiguration, linking electrical nonlinearities to mesoscopic force fluctuations.

Contribution

It introduces the concept that voltage-induced electronic reconfigurations cause force oscillations in metal nanowires, supporting the free-electron mechanism of mesoscopic fluctuations.

Findings

Force fluctuations arise from voltage-induced electronic reconfiguration.

The effect correlates with nonlinear current-voltage characteristics.

Magnetic susceptibility fluctuations and topology effects are discussed.

Abstract

We predict that the mesoscopic tensile force fluctuations in metal quantum point contacts (nanowires) arise as a result of finite electric voltage on the contact. They are due to reconfiguration of the electronic subsystem and are correlated with the nonlinearities of the current-voltage characteristics of the contact. The observation of the effect would directly confirm the recently suggested "free-electron" mechanism of mesoscopic force fluctuations observed in nanowires under deformation. The related magnetic susceptibility fluctuations and role of topology of the wire cross section are discussed as well