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Coherent signal amplification in bistable nanomechanical oscillators by stochastic resonance

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Abstract

Stochastic resonance1,2 is a counterintuitive concept: the addition of noise to a noisy system induces coherent amplification of its response. First suggested as a mechanism for the cyclic recurrence of ice ages, stochastic resonance has been seen in a wide variety of macroscopic physical systems: bistable ring lasers3, superconducting quantum interference devices4,5 (SQUIDs), magnetoelastic ribbons6 and neurophysiological systems such as the receptors in crickets7 and crayfish8. Although fundamentally important as a mechanism of coherent signal amplification, stochastic resonance has yet to be observed in nanoscale systems. Here we report the observation of stochastic resonance in bistable nanomechanical silicon oscillators. Our nanomechanical systems consist of beams that are clamped at each end and driven into transverse oscillation with the use of a radiofrequency source. Modulation of the source induces controllable switching of the beams between two stable, distinct states. We observe that the addition of white noise causes a marked amplification of the signal strength. Stochastic resonance in nanomechanical systems could have a function in the realization of controllable high-speed nanomechanical memory cells, and paves the way for exploring macroscopic quantum coherence and tunnelling.

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Figure 1: Diagram of measurement circuit.
Figure 2: Re-emergence of switching behaviour as a function of added white noise on beam 1 ( f drive = 23.4973 MHz).
Figure 3: Switching behaviour as a function of temperature on beam 2 ( f drive = 20.8348 MHz).
Figure 4: Behaviour of higher harmonics.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Nanoscale Exploratory Research (NER) program of the National Science Foundation and the DOD/ARL for the financial support of this research.

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  1. Department of Physics, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Massachusetts, 02215, Boston, USA

    Robert L. Badzey & Pritiraj Mohanty

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  1. Robert L. Badzey
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  2. Pritiraj Mohanty
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Correspondence to Pritiraj Mohanty.

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Badzey, R., Mohanty, P. Coherent signal amplification in bistable nanomechanical oscillators by stochastic resonance. Nature 437, 995–998 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04124

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