Nanomechanics driven by the superconducting proximity effect

• We consider a nanoelectromechanical weak link composed of a carbon nanotube suspended above a trench in a normal metal electrode and positioned in a gap between two superconducting leads. The nanotube is treated as a movable single-level quantum dot (QD) in which the position-dependent superconducting order parameter is induced as a result of Cooper pair tunneling. We show that in such a system, self-sustained bending vibrations can emerge if a bias voltage is applied between normal and superconducting electrodes. The occurrence of this effect crucially depends on the direction of the bias voltage and the relative position of the QD level. We also demonstrate that the nanotube vibrations strongly affect the dc current through the system, a characteristic that can be used for the direct experimental observation of the predicted phenomenon.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Annan fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Other Physics Topics (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Nanoteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Nano-technology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

nano-electromechanical systems and devices

electronic transport in

mesoscopic systems

superconducting proximity effect

Physics

electronic transport in mesoscopic systems

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)