Related papers: An ignition key for atomic-scale engines
We introduce a method of exploring potential energy contours in complex dynamical systems based on potentiostatic kinematics wherein the systems are evolved with minimal changes to their potential energy. We construct a simple iterative…
In Valence Change Memory (VCM) cells, the conductance of an insulating switching layer is reversibly modulated by creating and redistributing point defects under an external field. Accurate simulations of the switching dynamics of these…
Active matter denotes a system of particles immersed in an external environment, from which the particles extract energy continuously in order to perform directed motion. Extending the paradigm of active matter to a quantum framework…
The characterization and control of quantum effects in the performance of thermodynamic tasks may open new avenues for small thermal machines working in the nanoscale. We study the impact of coherence in the energy basis in the operation of…
As engineering advances toward the nanoscale, understanding design principles for molecular motors becomes increasingly valuable. Many molecular motors consist of coupled components transducing one free-energy source into another. Here, we…
Magneto-resistance is a physical effect of great fundamental and industrial interest since it is the basis for the magnetic field sensors used in computer read-heads and Magnetic Random Access Memories. As device dimensions are reduced,…
We consider a theoretical model for a nonlinear nanomechanical resonator coupled to a superconducting microwave resonator. The nanomechanical resonator is driven parametrically at twice its resonance frequency, while the superconducting…
The stochastic driving force exerted by a single molecular motor (e.g., a kinesin, or myosin) moving on a periodic molecular track (microtubule, actin filament, etc.) is discussed from a general viewpoint open to experimental test. An…
We invent an ac-driven quantum motor consisting of two different, interacting ultracold atoms placed into a ring-shaped optical lattice and submerged in a pulsating magnetic field. While the first atom carries a current, the second one…
We consider an electronic spin, such as a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, weakly coupled to a large number (bath) of nuclear spins, and subjected to the Rabi driving with a periodically alternating phase (multiple rotary echo). We…
A single-electron transistor incorporated as part of a nanomechanical resonator represents an extreme limit of electron-phonon coupling. While it allows for fast and sensitive electromechanical measurements, it also introduces backaction…
Very recently [Phys. Rev. E 82, 021921 (2010)] a simple mechanism was presented by which a molecule subjected to forced oscillations, out of thermal equilibrium, can maintain quantum entanglement between two of its quantum degrees of…
The main physical features and operating principles of isothermal nanomachines in microworld are reviewed, which are common for both classical and quantum machines. Especial attention is paid to the dual and constructive role of dissipation…
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows to probe matter at atomic scale by measuring the perturbation of a nanomechanical oscillator induced by near-field interaction forces. The quest to improve sensitivity and resolution of AFM has forced…
For the first time a method is devised for non-iterative modeling of motion of a radiating, electrified pointlike mass that has an internal structure. New, supplementary kinetic constants of accelerated charged particles are defined, that…
An atom attached to a micrometer-scale wire that is vibrating at a frequency of 100 MHz and with displacement amplitude 1 nm experiences an acceleration magnitude 10^9 ms^-2, approaching the surface gravity of a neutron star. As one…
Continuous particle exchange thermal machines require no time-dependent driving, can be realised in solid-state electronic devices, and miniaturised to nanometre scale. Quantum dots, providing a narrow energy filter and allowing to…
Nanomechanical resonators having small mass, high resonance frequency and low damping rate are widely employed as mass detectors. We study the performances of such a detector when the resonator is driven into a region of nonlinear…
Nanomechanical computers promise robust, low energy information processing. However, to date, electronics have generally been required to interconnect gates, while no scalable, purely nanomechanical approach to computing has been achieved.…
The nanomechanical single-electron shuttle is a resonant system in which a suspended metallic island oscillates between and impacts at two electrodes. This setup holds promise for one-by-one electron transport and the establishment of an…