Bolometric detection of mechanical bending waves in suspended carbon nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to detect mechanical bending waves in suspended carbon nanotubes by measuring resistance changes or critical current variations induced by RF excitation, revealing their vibrational modes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel bolometric detection technique for mechanical vibrations in carbon nanotubes using electrical measurements near phase transitions.

Findings

Detection of bending modes via resistance changes

Use of RF electric fields to excite vibrations

Analysis of heating and phase-breaking detection mechanisms

Abstract

We show that it is possible to detect mechanical bending modes on 1 micron long ropes of single walled-carbon nanotubes suspended between 2 metallic contacts. This is done by measuring either their dc resistance in a region of strong temperature dependence (in the vicinity of superconducting or metal-insulator transition), or their critical current. The vibrations are excited by a radio-frequency electric field produced by an antenna located in the vicinity of the sample. We analyze the mechanism of detection of the mechanical resonances in terms of heating and phase breaking effects.