Researchers at TU Delft and Brown University have created string-like resonators that can vibrate longer at room temperature than any previously known solid-state device, reaching what is now only possible at absolute zero temperatures. The results were reported in Nature Communications.
Their research pushes the boundaries of nanotechnology and machine learning, producing some of the world’s most sensitive mechanical sensors.
The newly generated nanostrings have the best mechanical quality factors ever reported for any clamping object in room temperature conditions, in this instance clamped to a microchip. This makes the technique appealing for incorporation into current microchip platforms.
Mechanical quality factors represent how well energy is retained in a vibrating object. These strings are specially designed to trap vibrations, preventing their energy from leaking out.
