Pushing Measurement to the Ultimate Stochastic Limit: The Stochastic Dynamics of Fluid-Coupled Nanocantilevers

摘要

We have developed a fundamental understanding of nanoscale fluid dynamics for fluid-based technologies with unprecedented capabilities. Using analytics and numerics we have investigated the Brownian driven, and externally driven, dynamics of micro and nanoscale elastic objects (such as cantilevers and beams) in a viscous fluid over a wide range of system parameters and for a number of experimentally important configurations. We developed an approach to compute the Brownian or externally driven dynamics using a single deterministic computation that can be performed on a personal workstation. Thermal motion is computed using the fluctuation-dissipation theorem and externally driven dynamics using transfer function theory. We quantify the effects of the cantilever and beam geometry upon their dynamics, the role of nearby bounding surfaces, the increased frequency and quality factors when using the higher flexural modes, and build a physical understanding of the fluid correlated motion of an array of elastic objects.